Enchantment's Lament
by EmmaLennyEddie
Summary: Not only does Gaston infiltrate the castle with his men, not only does he manage to enslave the enchanted beings and take over, but he kills the Beast and forces Belle into marriage. Lumiere won't have any of this.
1. The Infultration

**Author's Note: I certainly hope with the upmost sincerity that everyone takes pleasure in reading this story. It is the first of hopefully many Beauty and The Beast stories, so please, sit back and be my guest**.

 **Summary: When Gaston infiltrates the castle with his men, not only does he manage to enslave the enchanted beings, but he kills the prince and forces Belle into marriage. Lumiere won't have any of it.**

...

The journey into any battle was dogged be sure, like an intricate game of chess, with Gaston as the king and the villagers as his pawns. The castle's inhabitants gathered 'round, determined to protect their home, for some of them, the only home they had known their entire lives.

Lumiere was one of its gritty soldiers, wielding his flames like swords and burning as bright as any radiant star.

It was a calamitous battle. Many humans and objects were injured, some even killed. There were casualties on both sides. Plates were smashed to the ground and Lumiere nearly perished by flame, ironically enough, when that oaf LeFou tried to melt his wax body with a torch. Luckily, a bedraggled Cogsworth had come to his rescue, giving the man quite the poke in the rump, despite his small stature. Madame on the other hand had used her tremendous weight to crush quite a few. And while most of the castle servants had fought their hearts out, living to tell the tale...

Fifi hadn't been so lucky. Her delicate body had been literally torn apart by the hands of a human, her feathery form in pieces by the time a horribly distraught Lumiere hopped to her side and fiercely burned away her attacker.

"Fifi!" He had wailed, quickly extinguishing the flames on his "hands" to gently pick her up. He was hysterical for the first time in a long time, as calm-headed as he habitually was. And when she gave no answer, it was then that Lumiere realized with augmenting distress that he was too late.

"Fifi!" He cried. " _Mon amour!"_

She was gone. Actually gone. Her flirtatious smile. Her beautiful laugh. Every bit of her personality was gone forever.

It was this factor that gave him the strength for what he did next. Gently carrying the feather duster in his arms, the candelabra quickly vaulted over to a corner far away from the scuffle and laid her down, suppressing a sob in the process.

"Farewell," he croaked with a bow of his head.

He would fight on. For her.

With a mighty roar, Lumiere turned his back on her one final time and sprinted into the mess. Everything came to be quite a blur after that, his rage obstructing his vision and any sound. He fought valiantly, so that she would pride over him from up above.

...

At last, the last of the villagers were driven from the castle, their cries echoed by the cheers of the servants within the large dwelling. Everyone was ecstatic and relieved. All but one, that is.

He kept to himself in the corner, protectively and forlornly watching over Fifi's being, his flames completely extinguished in his depression.

Mrs. Potts happened to notice him in the midst of the celebration. "Oh, _Lumiere_ ," she whispered in distress once she realized what had happened, and she hopped over to him. If she had arms, she would have wrapped them around what passed for his shoulders. "It...It'll be alright, dear."

The candelabra said nothing, but when Mrs. Potts nudged his side, he let out a breathy sort of shudder.

"Oh, _dis-moi que ce ñ'est pas vrai..._ " Lumiere moaned, hiding his face with his "hands". "Tell me she hasn't passed!"

Mrs. Potts smiled miserably. She knew everyone in the castle like the back of her hand, including Fifi, who had always been a kind-hearted young woman, if not a bit silly here and there. And she had always adored Lumiere, who supposedly returned her feelings back just as valiantly. Mrs. Potts loathed seeing such close friends of her spiral into agony.

"She hasn't, Love," the teapot soothed, nudging him, to which he uncovered his sad face and glanced at her in confusion. "Not really. She'll always be here with us, in spirit."

Lumiere tried to smile at his friend's efforts, but failed miserably. "Ah, in spirit... _C'est vrai_..." he muttered sadly, turning back to Fifi.

How had everything gone so wrong so fast? All was supposed to turn out fine, save for a few minor bumps and bruises (or rather, scratches and chips), and the curse-that dreadful curse was to be lifted from them all! It was meant to be... Belle and the Beast were two halves weld together to create the perfect mold, despite one's appearances and former temper.

They were in sync, Lumiere had happily and hopefully concluded as he watched them play in the snow. And it was so, Cogsworth agreed with a satisfied chuckle as Belle promptly flung a handful of snow in the Beast's furry face. It was so. The way they talked, the way they sung like two birds apart of a duet, the way they _danced_... The way their relationship had bloomed like the enchanted rose, it was beyond compare to what any of the castle servants had expected.

They were perfect.

And that was going to break the spell. And they were going to be human again! What a thought, now that...this...had happened.

Unfortunately, none of them could have foreseen the monster that was Gaston. Nobody could have foreseen her poor father, ill and needing assistance. Nobody could have anticipated her absence. Nobody did, lest they would have acted upon it quickly and aided Belle with her troubles.

But now it too late. They would be doomed to remain enchanted objects forever...

A crash upstairs interrupted Lumiere's thoughts and everyone looked toward the ceiling, where several rafters trembled. Something else was wrong.

"Another villager!" Cogsworth exclaimed, wielding his dagger. "The final battle awaits!"

The servants, bedraggled as ever and wounded as well, did not follow the clock up the grand staircase, but dutifully gathered to prepare for the worst: cleaning the remains of smashed dishes (former waiters), twisted spoons, forks, and knives, (cooks) and smashed furniture, (other servants) while Lumiere stayed behind with Mrs. Potts to mourn over his fallen lover.

He just couldn't wrap his mind around her death. How could this have happened? One minute they were swooning, cheering the master on as he danced with Belle, sure to confess his love soon after, and the next they were fighting a merciless barrage of humans!

"Revolting people," Lumiere almost growled aloud, his flames flickering back to life. "Despicable. Who would dare attack a defenseless duster?"

Mrs. Potts sighed. "I'm sure there were innocent men among those who attacked us."

"Irrelevant!" Lumiere dismissed. "They hardly matter..."

"Dear-"

"They don't!" He snapped, causing the teapot to flinch at his fierce but understandable intensity. "None of them do and they knew...they knew what they were doing under the command of that man and his little goon of a fool."

He couldn't have gotten more than a few words in before-

"Lumiere! Come here at once!" It was Cogsworth, but instead of sounding demanding as usual, he appeared very stressed and very frightened. He rushed down the stairs and confronted the startled candelabra. "It's the Master!" He whispered frantically. "He's fallen! I need your assistance."

 _That_ got Lumiere's attention. Looking back and forth from the grand staircase to Fifi, Mrs. Potts gave him a gentle nudge. "Go. He needs you. I'll tend to her."

"Please, Lumiere!" Cogsworth begged, clasping his little metallic hands together.

"But I- What can I-?"

Mrs. Potts shook her head. "Go, Love."

He obeyed, trudging at first, but then started to sprint as the sound of Belle's cries reached his ears. " _Mademoiselle_?" He gasped, and quickly hopped up the stairs, moving as fast as his golden form could carry him, Cogsworth close behind. More cries erupted and echoed throughout the castle, along with his own as he reached the balcony of the west wing.

To his credit, he WAS expecting blood, some bruises, a lump on the head for his master to endure. What he hadn't expected was to find Belle draping herself over the wet-with-crimson body of the beast and sobbing her eyes out.

"No...please..." she was whimpering desperately, "You can't... you can't leave me...!"

Lumiere watched in horror along with a forlorn Cogsworth as they both locked eyes with the unblinking ones of the beast.

"You...you were not joking?" Lumiere breathed. His mind was still trying to process the scene before him.

"Certainly not!" Cogsworth exclaimed, deeply wounded. "At a time like _this_?"

" _Sacré bleu_!" Lumiere finally exclaimed, waxy tears dripping down his face and off the bridge of his nose. "First Fifi, and now-" He stopped with a gasp, for someone else seemed to have entered the picture.

Standing over Belle and the Beast was the man himself. Gaston, looking quite pleased with himself as he lowered his knife wielding hand, was dark and brooding without a moon to illuminate his form.

The two enchanted objects backed away without thinking, observing the tall, intimidating character. And what a character he was! There was no regret in his eyes for what he had done, no pity in his heart as he watched the sobbing young woman. He must have done it, Lumiere concluded with augmenting fury, his flames rekindling.

In fact, not only did the man seem pleased-he seemed more than ecstatic!

Gaston smirked to himself, swiping away his black, saturated locks out of his eyes as the rainwater continued to pour. The one thing standing between he and Belle was now dead. And yes, he knew that that THING was his biggest obstacle. He had realized that when she had come back to rescue her father. When she had shown him the mirror... When she had called that THING her friend. Kind. Gentle. Bah! She'd come around, he carelessly dismissed, tucking away his knife.

"Come Belle," he offered with an extended hand. "Belle?"

The young woman in question ignored him at first, but then finally lifted her head when he tapped her shoulder.

"How could you do this, Gaston?" She whispered hoarsely, her throat raw, her eyes puffy and red. "He was my friend! And you-!"

"I did what was right," Gaston interjected, puffing out his chest. "The village is safe, now that it's dead."

"They were never in danger," she abruptly cried out, her brows furrowing in agonizing pain. And with that, she buried her face into the chest of the beast, sobbing on but quieter. "You led them all here," she murmured, "and for what? To get what YOU want? Why don't you EVER consider what others may want?"

Gaston gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "Mind what I say, Belle, I WILL have its head mounted on my wall, and I WILL have you as my wife. Make no mistake about that!"

"You wouldn't dare!" Shouted a furious Cogsworth, startling Gaston as he waddled up to defend his former master and Belle with his own dagger in hand. "If you dare lay a hand on either of them, I'll gut you myself!"

Gaston stared at him. While he hadn't gotten a full taste of what the enchanted castle had offered downstairs, he did understand the gravity of the situation at hand. Then again... "You and what army, little clock?" He chuckled at the small stature of the being.

"Me! You have to get through me fir-!" Belle let out a shocked gasp as her friend was promptly kicked out of the way by an amused Gaston, sending him to crash a good few feet away, moaning in pain. There was also the sound of breaking glass, and everyone knew that the clock was in trouble.

"Cogsworth!" Lumiere cried, prepared to hop to his friend, but was stopped by Gaston, who blocked his path.

"What's this?" Gaston chuckled as his new opponent's flames grew in size, which was Lumiere's attempt to make himself look intimidating. "Is this your army, clock? A talking candlestick?"

"Labra!" Lumiere growled. The impudence, this monster. "Candelabra, you-you swine! You son of a pig! Monster!" He began cursing in French.

"Me?" Gaston was genuinely surprised. "Monster? You should be thanking me for ridding this world of _that_ monster there." He pointed to the body and Lumiere gritted his teeth. "It must've been terrible to be stuck in this castle all this time with that thing, I'm sure. I'm glad I solved the problem." He drew his blade. "Now..." he mused. "What should I do with you?"

Lumiere jolted at the shine of the knife.

"L-Leave him alone, Gaston!" Belle cried, letting go of the beast and outstretching her arms. She couldn't take this. She couldn't handle losing anyone else. Gaston looked back to her and smiled.

"Another friend of yours? How nice," he chuckled, and then grabbed the candelabra around the base, despite his protests. "Why don't you join the clock?" He then tossed Lumiere to the side and returned to Belle, who was struggling to rush over to her friends, but he blocked her path just in time. "Now, now. Leave them be. We have much bigger things to worry about!"

"Oh? Like what?" Belle yelled, her face streaked with rain and tears as she shoved past him. "Your imaginary wedding? It'll never happen, Gaston. I'd rather die!"

The man was at a loss for words, especially as she rushed to tend to those horrid creatures.

"What to do?" He wondered as she bent over the fallen clock and candelabra, whispering to them in soothing, hushed tones.

And then the wheels in his head began turning... a dangerous pastime he knew, but this was important.

Without warning, he strutted over to the three beings and grabbed Lumiere. He then proceeded to, despite Belle's protests, dangle him over the edge of the balcony. "How about a preposition?" He suggested as Lumiere struggled. The enchanted candelabra desperately attempted to ignite his flames to burn the man holding him, but the pouring rain prevented the fire from prevailing.

"You marry me," Gaston smiled, "and I'll let this little friend of yours go. And if you decline my offer-!"

"No, Belle!" Lumiere cried, struggling with all his might to get out of the man's iron grip. " _Cheri!_ You mustn't do this! Not for me!"

"If you decline," Gaston continued with annoyance, giving the candelabra a rough shake which rattled his teeth, "if you refuse-"

"I-I'm not worth it!" Lumiere cried out once more, a bit shaken, but as he looked down, he began to have second thoughts. Nothing between him and the ground save for a thousand feet of air. "Cogsworth! _Mon amie! Sauve-moi!"_ He cried out, hoping his friend could help him, but alas, the poor clock was unconscious.

"Make your decision, m'lady," Gaston warned, "or he gets to meet his maker."

Belle was frantic. "Please don't make me do this, Gaston," she begged, falling to her knees. "You can't make me do this! Show mercy!"

Gaston shrugged. "Alright." And his grip on Lumiere loosened.

As soon as he felt Gaston's gloved fingers leave his base, Lumiere let out a horrible screech-only for the man to re-grip to keep him from falling. It took Belle a minute to realize that she had screamed too.

"Alright!" She cried out hoarsely.

"What?" Gaston blinked, and Lumiere's jaw dropped. She couldn't have said what he thought she had said.

For a moment there was nothing but the pattering of the rain. But then Belle, from her bowed stance, rose up and took a determined step forward. Her face streaked with tears, she chokingly asked, "Do I have your word?"

"No! Belle, don-MPHHH!" Lumiere tried, but his mouth was quickly covered by Gaston, who gave a nod of satisfaction to the young woman. "You have my word. He will live, as well as his other little friends. Do I have yours?"

For a moment, Belle said nothing, but then saw the pained expression on Lumiere's face as she made eye contact with his bright brown eyes.

"You have my word," she finally managed to choke out, tears streaming down her crimson face, and Gaston gave her a wide grin.

"Wonderful!" He crowed, throwing his arms up, causing Lumiere to lurch. "Then we have a deal. You become my wife and the little enchanted creatures live. Even _this_ one," he sighed, and gave Lumiere another shake before tossing him to join a still-unconscious Cogsworth on the ground.

"Well then, we shall be married!" He crowed, clasping his hands together. "And the beast shall become my trophy-"

"He will be buried," Belle interjected. "Please Gaston," she begged when he paused. "That's all I ask of you! Is for him to be protected-even in death! And for me to pay my respects. Please..."

Lumiere was close to tears himself as he tried to pick himself off the ground. _"M-Mademoiselle_..."

"You ask for a lot, my dear," the broad lout chuckled, in a tremendously good mood as he threw an arm around her shoulder. "But I'll get you straightened out in no time."

"Urk... Belle..." Lumiere croaked as they walked past, reaching out with his skinny gold arm. "Please..."

Nobody, not even he noticed as the last petal fell.

...

Lumiere awoke a few hours later, waterlogged and aching. He sat up with a groan, thoughts swirling about his mind like a whirlpool. It was still pouring rain. And he...? He sagged. Well, he certainly wasn't human again. This he concluded by staring up at the enchanted rose, which had shed its last petal.

Well... that was it then. He was doomed to remain an enchanted object forever.

And then he remembered.

"Belle!" He cried out. "Master!" The beast's body was absent. A groan to his left captured his attention. "Cogsworth!" He gasped, crawling over to his groggy friend. "Are you alright?"

"What do you think?" The clock moaned, rubbing his head as Lumiere helped him sit up. "I feel as though all of my gears have been twisted past their limits."

"Will you be alright?" Lumiere inquired.

Cogsworth issued a thorough observation of himself, checking his gears, his polished finish, which was now scratched and dirty. Finally, he sighed. "Hard to say, but yes, I believe I'll live," he sadly muttered, staring up at the wilted rose.

"We have to find Belle before she leaves with that monster!" Lumiere insisted, ignoring the obvious curse issue. "C'mon!"

"What? Now!?" Cogsworth cried, waving his arms. "Shouldn't we have but a moment to collect ourselves and-?" Lumiere sent a glare at his friend over his shoulder, which caused Cogsworth to pause mid sentence and groan. "Oh, alright. Fine, fine, allow me to-" with a heave, he got to his "feet". "Let's go."

Together, they exited the west wing and ran their hardest down the grand staircase, where it was surprisingly empty in the front foyer. They looked about, confused as to where everyone had gone.

"Uh, is it always this empty?" Lumiere questioned, to which Cogsworth shook his head.

"No, I don't belie—"

"Cogsworth! Lumiere! Thank heavens I found you!" Came the bedraggled cry of a certain teapot. The two enchanted beings whipped around just in time to see a very broken Mrs. Potts barreling towards them at top speed out from a random corridor.

She was a mess. Her lid was missing, her spout was cracked badly on the side, and scratches littered her porcelain like whip marks.

"Gaston rounded up his men!" She whispered in a rushed, haggard tone. They've infiltrated the castle and took an axe to-" she swallowed hard. "-everyone, really... Madame is gone... Chef Bouche—Everyone deemed large or sharp enough to be a problem!"

"Oh, _Dieu_..." Lumiere breathed, clutching at his face.

"And that's not all," she whimpered. "Those evil creatures have taken Chip and the children and the rest of the staff and put them in God-forsaken cages! Lord knows what they're planning! They've been looking for me, but I've managed to evade them…for now."

"But—But we beat them!" Lumiere exclaimed, startlingly confused. "Didn't we?"

Mrs. Potts shook her head. "Word spreads fast in this world. Other villages are catching witness as to what's going on. They came while you two were in the West Wing."

"A-And the Master?" Cogsworth interrupted worriedly, bounding up to her.

The teapot's eyes were filled to the brim with tears, but they were just now starting to fall. "I'd rather not speak of it."

"That's alright. That's alright," Lumiere assured her, understanding how traumatized the poor teapot must be." Where is Belle?" He asked, closing his eyes.

"In her room," Mrs. Potts revealed sorrowfully. "She's been in there for a good few hours now, the poor child."

"Have you spoken to her?"

Mrs. Potts shook. "I would if I could, but she won't let anyone in. She's barricaded the door."

Lumiere was silent. Poor Belle. The sheer amount of heartbreak she must have had to endure, much like him with Fifi, was astounding! The poor girl... She simply must be comforted. Lumiere had taken a great liking to said girl the moment she set foot in the castle. He knew that she was destined for the master, but wouldn't have minded her company. She was very intelligent, sweet and kind and... "I shall go to her," he bravely announced, extending an "arm".

Mrs. Potts stared at him for a moment, and looked as though she wanted to say something else, but then she simply said, "Go under the cover of darkness, dear. It'll help. And watch out for Gaston's men—they're everywhere!"

Lumiere was just about to wish her good luck, but LeFou's voice echoed around the corridor, causing all three of them to jump.

"Go!" She cried. "NOW!"

...


	2. Belle and Lumiere

**Author's Note: I'm rather surprised by the lack of feedback. Oh well. Can't please them all, I suppose. :)**

* * *

"Run!" Mrs. Potts whispered as loudly as her common sense would allow, and the two enchanted beings obeyed, turning 'round on their heels and tearing for two separate corridors, Cogsworth through one, Lumiere through the other. In the rush, they hardly noticed the separation at all. Behind them, a terrified Mrs. Potts was quickly snatched up by LeFou, who had recovered quickly from the stab wound in his hindquarters.

"Gotcha!" He exclaimed with an ornery little sneer. "What are ya doin' up here all by yourself, lil' teapot? You're supposed to be with the other gadgets!"

Mrs. Potts wiggled and squirmed as best she could, but LeFou had a grip of iron, and after the other incident, he wasn't about to let her go. "I demand," the teapot snarled quite unladylike, "that you unhand me! Put me down at once!"

LeFou let out a snort. "Ha!" He jeered. "Fat chance! Last time I let one of you slip through my fingers, I got a mean stab in the back..." He winced, rubbing his behind with a free hand. And with that said and done, he began his long trek to the outside world.

"Now don't you worry about your friends. They're going to be in good hands for a long time," he promised.

...

Lumiere couldn't get away any faster, but just enough so he could shirk the squalid hands of LeFou, and that was good enough for him. He did, unfortunately, miss the kidnapping of his dear friend Mrs. Potts due to his rapid escape. If he had seen it unfold, he would've given a fatal burn to her attacker.

Rushing down several corridors and thanking God that he was small and nimble, Lumiere began to run out of breath. But it was really the least of his worries, what with Gaston's men around. Thankfully, although there were many, they were too few and far between compared to the large castle's scale for anyone to be packed too closely together. And besides that, Belle's room wasn't far. In fact-ah! There it was!

With a huge sigh of relief that almost rekindled his light, he approached Belle's room, putting his wax head against the door, listening fixedly. Sure enough, the muffled cries of a young woman and the grumbles of an exasperated young man could be heard. Belle? She...she sounded like she was in agony... and was...was that Gaston in there? Was he hurting her? The thought caused the pace of his non-existent heart to quicken.

But before Lumiere could say or do much of anything, the sound of approaching footsteps from within the room reached his "ears". Thinking quickly, he backed away from the door as it slammed open, nearly hitting him in the process. Out stepped Gaston, looking much darker than usual, a bright red handprint on his right cheek. The sight caused Lumiere's jaw to drop as he carefully peeked from behind the door. Belle must've given him her hand for sure, Lumiere realized with a proud smile tugging at his lips.

Gaston stood stiffly for a moment, clenching and unclenching one gloved fist while rubbing at his sore cheek with the other. Lumiere twitched. It was all he could do to keep himself from burning Gaston with his flames right then and there. What had he done to her to deserve that slap? What could he-? And then he remembered. Fifi. This man was the sole cause behind her death and now Belle's agony.

 _"It's your fault,"_ he realized furiously. _"It's your fault that Fifi's gone, you swine!"_

"Gaston?" Came LeFou's call from the end of the hall. Lumiere extinguished his flames and hid in a shadow nearby, though he yearned to jump the both of them with his flames. They would probably squash him if he did that, though. Gaston rolled his eyes as his best friend trotted over with a big smile on his face, which only widened when he noticed the crimson print. "Heya Gaston, heheh. How's it hanging with th' future wifey?"

Gaston tensed with anger, and Lumiere was sure that he was going to bop the other man upside the head, but all he did was sigh dramatically. "Not good LeFou. I've been dismissed!" He then threw his arms into the air. "Rejected! Why, it's more than I can bear!"

At that, Lumiere rolled his eyes. _"Oh...for the love of Dui..."_ He thought.

LeFou gave him an encouraging pat on the leg. "Don't worry buddy. If anyone can straighten out a woman, it's you! Just pull yourself together." And with that, he took the man's hand in his own and pulled him down the hall. "I know! Think of all the things she likes to do and put them to action. Doesn't she like cards or something?"

"Books, you numbskulls," Lumiere thought, sourly. "She adores books." He knew this by heart, ever since she had expressed interest of the library during her tour of the castle, many months ago. In fact, it had been Lumiere to suggest that the Beast show her the library to win her hand.

"By the way, have you seen a candlestick or a clock anywhere? I have some unfinished business with them..." LeFou trailed as they finally walked out of Lumiere's earshot, causing the candelabra to tremble with augmenting fear. What were they planning for the remaining castle staff? On one hand, he'd hate to know the answer, but...maybe Belle knew.

Lumiere waited impatiently for them to leave before quietly knocking on the large door with the metallic part of his wax hands.

When nobody answered, he tried again, only to receive a small "go away" in reply.

"Er, _Mademoiselle_?" He timidly greeted, looking left and right to make certain that nobody was near. "It's me!"

It was silent for a moment, and then there was a rushing of feet before the door opened a crack, Belle's bloodshot eyes peeking through. "Lumiere?" She croaked. "You're alive!" She fell to her knees and opened the door wider so that he could squeeze through. "Please, hurry," she urged, and when he was finally inside the darkened room, she took him into her arms. He hugged back as best he could.

"Oh my goodness," she whispered, covering her mouth as she shut the door with a free hand. She gently set him down. "How? How are you alive? How can that be?"

Lumiere smiled. "Well, I had to come back, Mademoiselle," he told her. What he didn't expect was the tearful woman to smile back, but she did, actually laughing a little through her tears. "After all, I never thanked you for saving my life up on the balcony. That was very brave."

Belle lifted her chin a little and smiled proudly. "I had to do it," she insisted. "You're family to me. All of you. And you were the first one to show me kindness here."

Lumiere blinked. "I was?"

Belle thought for a moment. "Well, after Mrs. Potts of course-"

"Of course," he chuckled.

"-and Chip-"

"Understandable."

"-and Madame-..." she smiled at him through her tears and he patted her knee.

"Fourth is good though, no?" He cracked, causing her to laugh a little. But down to brass tax... "What has happened to everyone?" He asked fretfully. "Mrs. Potts told Cogsworth and I that the staff's in cages! Is that true?"

"She's still here?" Belle gasped. "And Cogsworth too?" She put a hand over her heart in relief. "Oh thank heavens..." she breathed.

"Yes, at the present. We were all being chased when I last saw either of them." His nonexistent heart clenched at the thought of his friends captured. It was terrifying to think about, so to lighten the mood, he tried to jest. "I, ah, saw you put quite the number on that monstrosity."

Belle pursed her lips and wiped her runny eyes. "He didn't keep his promise," she revealed. "He took the Beast and promised me he would be stuffed when I..." she closed her eyes and bowed her head. "...I told him to _brûle en enfer_."

Lumiere winced. Oh. That couldn't have sat well with Gaston.

"I know," Belle murmured. "Excuse my french, but at the time, it felt so satisfying... Now I know it was hardly worth it. Because of me, the beast won't receive the burial he deserves. And it's all my fault..."

"No! _No_ , Mademoiselle!" Lumiere soothed her. "If anyone is to blame for this misery, it I. If Gaston hadn't got ahold of me, you wouldn't have had to marry him in the first place."

"You? Are you talking about-?" She closed her eyes and shook her head, astounded by him. "Don't be ridiculous, Lumiere," she snapped. "None of what happened was your fault."

"Then neither was yours!" He declared with a snap of his own, crossing his arms. "If you think that you are to blame for Gaston's invasion-"

"But I AM!" Belle almost wailed, causing Lumiere to shush her. "I'm sorry, but don't you get it?" She hissed. "I told everyone in the village. I told them...him. If I hadn't done that, then you, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, and oh-poor Madame and Chef Bouche! You would all be alright!"

There was a small silence as Belle hugged her knees, looking away miserably.

" _But we wouldn't have been alright_ ," Lumiere thought despairingly. " _We would've stayed like this forever anyway..."_

"Oh, it was so foolish of me to say," Belle went on, tucking a strand of hair back where it belonged, "because now he has everyone! He's put them in cages and is planning to take them out to the village!"

"The village?" Lumiere inquired in confusion. Weren't they to be chopped up or set aflame? "Your home? Why?"

"I don't know," Belle confessed, clasping her hands on her lap. "Revenge perhaps? Whatever he's got up his sleeve, it can't be good for anyone but himself." That got Lumiere thinking.

"What about you?" He asked, shuddering at the thought of his master as a cozy rug or on a plaque of some sort. And his staff-oh! As the maître d', he was supposed to keep everyone and everything in order to keep them safe. His staff had counted on him and he'd let them down... He'd let Fifi down. He sagged at the thought, trying to ignore the buildup of tears in his eyes.

Belle just shook her head. "I...I tried to stop them, Lumiere, I truly did! But there were too many-and nobody would listen and-" she stopped, choking on her own words. "Oh, what are we going to do?"

Lumiere was almost at a loss . "Don't worry," he soothed, taking her hand with one of his waxed own. "I'll personally see to it that you shall _never_ marry that tyrant!"

Belle beamed at his words. "Oh, Lumiere..." she whispered, wiping away a tear. "I don't even care about the wedding anymore. I just want my family to be safe."

"Then Cogsworth and I shall find your father!" Lumiere declared. "And find somewhere safe for him to stay, and then-"

Belle flinched, recalling her beloved parent. "My father!" She cried, standing up quickly. "I-I forgot all about him!"

"Do not worry," he soothed her, trying to quiet her cries. "I shall see to it that he is safe."

"You too," Belle interrupted.

Lumiere blinked, and gestured to himself. " _Moi?"_ He asked.

"You, of course!" Belle affirmed, "I want you and the others to be safe."

"But your family-"

"I consider you family, _Monsieur._ You, and the everyone else in this castle," she quickly added.

The two were silent for a moment.

" _Mademoiselle_ , I-"

Unfortunately, the sound of footsteps interrupted the harangue that was sure to come, causing to the two to stiffen with trepidation. Belle grabbed Lumiere by the base and rushed over to her bed. "Hide!" She urged, shoving him unceremoniously under. "Hurry!"

The door opened.

...

Cogsworth was the last one to be caught. Despite being the stumpy little clock that he was, he was certainly fast, although not as quite as light on his feet as his other counterparts, which prompted him to be captured by Tom, Dick, and Stanley soon after escaping LeFou's clutches.

He stopped dead in his tracks as the three men approached, all armed to the teeth, while he only had his small dagger in hand. "Eh...heheh," he chuckled nervously as the men all glared and raised their weapons. "Good evening, er-gentlemen!"

Cogsworth found himself in a cage outside just minuets later, surrounded by the small teacups-Mrs. Potts' children.

 _"Monsieur! Monsieur Cogsworth!_ " They all cried in unison, hopping up to crowd him. "What's happening to us? What's going on?!" As the shadows of men loomed over them, they all cried out and hid behind Cogsworth, who swallowed hard as LeFou came into view with a nasty grin on his face.

"So!" The little man sneered. "You're the one who stabbed me, eh?" He inquired, wrapping his grubby fingers around the metal bars of the cage in which they were held.

The children all gasped and looked to the clock with wide eyes. "Did you really?" Chip asked, pride not lost in his childish voice. Cogsworth smiled nervously.

"Did-Did I do that?" He asked timidly as LeFou raised a dagger, ironically enough, the same one Cogsworth drove into his behind. "Oh...dear me..." The enchanted object whispered, gathering the children up to gather behind him.

"Oh you did," LeFou barked. "And it sure did hurt!"

"Yes?" Cogsworth smiled nervously, wiping his glass forehead.

LeFou rolled his eyes. "Gosh, did it ever. Wanna feel what it felt like?"

"Not particularly..." Cogsworth muttered as the man poked the dagger through the bars of the cage. This was going to hurt, wasn't it?

...

The door to Belle's room creaked open just as she was situating herself and as Lumiere was backing up under the bed. In walked Gaston, looking quite bedraggled but determined, the red handprint on his cheek considerably faded.

"Hello, Belle," he greeted calmly.

The young woman lifted her chin. " _Bonjour_ ," she coldly replied, turning away.

Gaston recognized the danger signals, but LeFou had advised him to take a gentler approach. "Belle," he tried, "you can't stay up here forever-"

"Didn't we go over this, Gaston?" Belle faced him with a snarl. "You made a promise and broke it! We agreed that I would marry you if the people in the castle were left alone, and that included the Beast's body! And you-" she stopped, shuddering. "Have you done it yet? Skinned him?" It made her sick even to mention such a thing, but she had to know. She just had to.

Under the bed, Lumiere was astonished. " _She agreed to such a thing?_ " He thought with amazement. How selfless, how kind, how so very _Belle_! And yet-the master? Skinned?! _Mon Dieu!_

To the relief of the candelabra and the young woman, Gaston shook his head. "No, not yet. My boys have hauled him to the village already."

Belle could only shake her head and ask, "Why?" Why had he such a cruel heart? And where on earth did he honestly think that wooing her would include killing her best friend? Why?

"Well, for proof of course!" Gaston exclaimed, astonished that Belle would ask such a silly question. "Don't think there will be any doubters left, now that we've caught the monster itself!" He said without thinking, which prompted Belle to become enraged.

"He was no monster, Gaston," she muttered quietly. "He was kind and gentle...my friend."

Lumiere held his breath and waited for Gaston's response.

"Belle, when we get home, I'll make sure to straighten you out, that I can assure you." Belle opened her mouth to speak, but the man cut her off. "Now, insanity isn't your fault. And thinking that this thing was your friend-no. Just no. But have no fear," he added when she tried to speak again. "We'll fix that pretty little head of yours. Lord knows we don't need another crazy ol' loon in our town to add to the pile."

Lumiere stiffened. He was no stranger to madhouses. His own cousin had been imprisoned there for hearing voices that didn't exist, and the things they did to him were beyond despicable! Grotesque even! He couldn't imagine what could be waiting for Belle at the madhouse.

"I'm not crazy!" Belle finally shouted, jumping to her feet. "And neither is my father! You just keep away from us, Gaston, and let the enchanted people go!"

Her anger hardly fazed him, oddly enough. Had he grown immune? "People?" He chortled. "Those creatures are subjects of sorcery, Dear. You saw how they hurt those innocent townsfolk, just trying to protect their families."

"You led them here!" She yelled.

Gaston held up his hands in defense. "How was I supposed to know that this place was haunted with enchanted beings? Besides, I wasn't the one who showed the whole town the Beast, Belle. That was all you." Belle had no answer for that, but she ground her teeth to near powder and clenched her fists like mad.

Lumiere himself was having trouble extinguishing his flames out of his own fury.

Gaston raised an eyebrow and put a hand around her waist, which caused her to stiffen. "Come. An auction awaits us!" He declared, moving her away from the bed and towards the door. Lumiere peeked out from his hiding spot and glared a death glare at the muscled man.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please review! I promise I will reply!**


	3. Bonfires

**Author's Note: Hello all my faithful Fanrats! As promised, I shall respond to every single one of you! Unexpectedly there was an influx of reviews and I was pretty surprised to say the least because I was sure that nobody would be interested in the story. It was definitely a happy surprise, and I am overjoyed to have pleased every single one of you.**

 **Commence ze Responses!**

 **Oo Spider Clemti oO: Thank you and I'm very glad you like it so far! (Truth be told I've kind of been making it up as I went along, haha!) But then again I did the exact same thing for one of my other stories**

 **"Mishap by Mug", and it turned out to be very popular indeed. Anyway, I do hope you leave a constructive review for this chapter and I hope you like it! Sit back and enjoy, dude. Be my guest!**

 **Guest: Thank you! Capturing Gaston's personality was very challenging actually because his persona is very tough to...well...** ** _capture_** **, you know? He's made out to be a bit of a meathead, but can be clever at times (like when he came up with a plan to make out Belle's father as a lunatic in order to win her hand in marriage). It was a fiendishly clever plan, and he was already intimidating as he was, being such a great hunter and all.**

 **Singertobe: Hun, you sound exactly like me. I am always checking my junk mail to look for reviews and/or updated stories, so it's very flattering that you will do the same for me. ^^ I hope you enjoy this chapter, because I did put a lot of effort into it. And as for the enchantress I'm sure she will make an appearance in the story. ;) Later on, though. There needs to be a climax somewhere.**

 **Belle: Is that really your real name? Sweet! That's a very beautiful name! And aw, you were crying at the first chapter? Good, lol.**

 **Narmeybrnery: Gaston has an interesting plan for all of them, and it DOES involve selling, but not as much as you might think. ;) Just wait patiently.**

 **Lumiere8645: I don't know if Lumiere is necessarily the type to literally kill someone out of rage, but we'll just have to wait and see. Anything can happen in a world where teapots and candlesticks sing!**

 **Gaston: Nobody ruins a good story like you, buddy.**

 **FluentFletcher2: I'm so happy that I managed to keep everyone in character for you seeing as how you are pretty picky with that kind of stuff, Mr. Fletcher. Keeping everyone in character while exploring new ways to exploit their feelings is very fun! I hope you review in the future!**

 **Alectooknightoff: Yeah, Gaston isn't exactly a Golden Retriever, isn't he? More like a pitbull, but that's pretty insulting to pitbulls!**

 **JennaAiton: Oh you! Stop it! XD It really warms my heart to hear that from you, from anyone really! I'll tell you right now that I'm actually kind of at a loss as to where the story should go since I am making it up as I go along. Message me and maybe we can talk it over and get some ideas going!**

 **Caroline Barlow: Well, if I manage to entertain anyone, I've done my job, but I'm especially glad that I entertained you! If you have any ideas as to where this story should go, message me or write a review! I'd love to hear what you have in mind!**

 **Bailey Noelle: you've been with me since the very beginning, bro! Thank you so very kindly for writing the reviews, because I love them so very much. It warms my heart, encourages me, inspires me to write better and faster! ;) Love ya, man!**

 **And last but not least:**

 **XxDarkDarlingxX: Oh stop! You're making me blush, you! =(óuò)= The reader is always an inspiration for the writer so I hope you drop by again and leave a review! 3**

 **...**

Cogsworth was simply petrified. Why him? Why him?! WHY HIM OF ALL SOULS?! Why had he been involved with the invasion of their home, or more importantly, why had the enchantress see fit to curse them all!? He wouldn't have minded as much, if he hadn't been a part of it...he supposed. After all, he didn't deserve any of this, and he certainly didn't ask for any of this either.

That's what was going through his mind as LeFou drove the dagger through the groove of the bars and straight into the intricately carved wood that was his torso, before then plunging straight into and cracking the glass door that led to his gears.

Pain. Oh, that was definitely pain... There was no blood, but there was definitely the splintering of wood and the shattering of glass as his body was vandalized. The children surrounding him all shouted and cried, their loud noises becoming low-pitched drones in his "ears" as the knife drove in deeper. His little metallic hands clutched the sheath, trying to yank it from his being, but alas, his strength was no match for the man's.

It seemed as though it would last forever-the pain, that is. And it WAS a while until LeFou yanked the knife out of him, before giving him a couple of more jabs to the wood, and finally satisfied, he pulled back, taking the weapon with him. "There, that should teach you," he smiled sadistically, putting it in a sheath and patting it gently as Cogsworth moaned in pain. "I'll be back, little guy, with that friend of yours." His face went dark. "And I'll make sure to melt him-right before your very eyes."

Cogsworth gasped through the pain, as did Mrs. Potts. " _No_!" The poor teapot cried.

"L-Lumiere?" Cogsworth forced out, hoarse. That's right! Somehow, and hopefully, the candelabra had managed to evade Gaston's cronies and make it to where Belle was being held.

As LeFou strolled away, Cogsworth thought: Had the enchantress counted on this happening? Had she known all along that this mutiny would unfold? Would she provide an exception to the ones she cursed and excuse them from this _folie?_ It appeared not.

But now there was no time to think about it. Right now he had to focus on getting this dagger un-wedged from his gears and calm down the crying children.

 **...**

Lumiere poked his head out from under the bed and scowled at the muscles hoodlum. Whatever Gaston was proposing couldn't be virtuous. A sale of some sort, but what kind?

 **"** Auction? What auction?" The young woman asked with growing fear and suspicion.

"Why, the auction in which was my strapping boys and I sell to those in need some enchanted servants!" Gaston revealed, pleased with himself for thinking such a thing. Lumiere's jaw dropped. Of all the lowbrow, dirty plans, this just had to be the most sinister of them all! Gaston went on dreamily, "Just think of it-we'd have to weed out the dangerous ones first, and then we'd make a fortune off of the lowly submissive ones-"

"You'll do no such thing!" Belle snapped, just as shocked as Lumiere at this plan of out-and-out lunacy. "Gaston, they aren't _lifeless_ objects; they have feelings, souls even! Besides, servants aren't bought and sold; _slaves_ are. You can't just buy and sell my friends-"

"They aren't human," Gaston interjected. "You know that, Belle."

"But-"

"Tell me, do the feelings of pigs matter when they're up for the slaughter?"

Belle paused. "Well, animals don't-"

"And do the feelings of horses matter when they plow our fields?"

"I don't suppose-" But that was all Gaston needed to hear.

"Exactly! So why should the feelings of these things make any difference to us?"

"Because they think, Gaston!" Belle exclaimed. "Just like us; they _think_ and _feel!_ Almost as if-!" She stopped, and then trailed off, looking away.

"Almost as if...?" Gaston pressed, but she had no answer.

 _"Almost as if we were human before..."_ Lumiere thought sadly. She knew that this place was enchanted but knew not of the curse. How was she to know that they were once people?

"Never mind that then. It'll happen whether you like it or not," Gaston shrugged.

"But-"

"I have to ask you, Belle," he interrupted as they exited the room. Lumiere quickly hopped after them, making sure to stay out of sight by extinguishing his bright flames. "You were very reluctant to marry me before, yet you agreed later simply because I held a candlestick over a cliff." For once and strangely enough, he was staring dead ahead, refusing to make eye contact with her. Eerily, that was enough to make her uncomfortable.

"What-? What are you saying?" She asked, shocked. "Of course I agreed! I wasn't about to let someone die-"

"Just "someone", Belle?" Gaston asked, stopping dead in his tracks and gripping her shoulders. "Or was that someone important to you?" He was now looking her dead in the eye.

Belle stared at him for a moment. "Are you saying that I'm...infatuated with-with Lumiere?" She asked with disbelief.

Lumiere tensed. Infatuated. With _him_? That...That certainly hadn't really crossed his mind before. It wasn't his job to fall for the girl; that was his master's duty! Besides, he had Fifi! Well, he had _had_ Fifi and Belle had _had_ the master…before they were killed… They simply hadn't crossed paths alone, was all... but it wasn't as if she was a great person, she was! She was very kind, sweet, could hold an especially intelligent conversation, and was...well, _her_. Perfect.

"It has a name?" Gaston exclaimed, tightening the grip on her shoulders, which caused her to tense in discomfort. "Lumiere..." he repeated, causing Belle's heart to sink. She believed she shouldn't have given that away. "Light. Hm. LeFou did have some unfinished business with it, didn't he?" His grip tightened. "Tell me, Belle, if I have competition I need to upstage-"

"No!" Belle cried, knowing what he was implying. "He's a good friend of mine, that's all! Just like the Beast was!" And it was true! Lumiere had been one of the few to show her kindness when she was doomed to remain here for the rest of her days, and she had fallen for his kind, upbeat, if not a bit flirtatious personality. Not overly coquettish like Gaston, but light, fun teasing here and there and respectfully kissing her hand when they first met and such.

"And this friend of yours you were sobbing over after I took care of him," Gaston scoffed. "What on earth do you see in those creatures?"

"Nothing you could ever understand, Gaston," she snarled suddenly. " _Nothing_."

Gaston gritted his teeth, his grip on her shoulders tightening to the point where it began to seriously pain her.

Lumiere scowled as Belle struggled to get the man's hands off of her. This had gone on far enough. He wasn't about to allow him to harm her anymore. Quickly hopping over to where the two were arguing, he held his breath, fully prepared to blow Gaston away with his flames.

But before he could do a thing, a grubby, gloved hand wrapped around his golden base, lifting him up into the air. He let out a yelp without thinking, " _Sacré bleu_!" And immediately covered his mouth, but it was too late. Belle and Gaston both turned.

The man smiled callously, while the young woman gasped out in surprise as well as anxiety. "Lumiere!" She cried.

The aforementioned candelabra twisted and turned, but he had been captured alright, and by-...LeFou. Oh, what joy. "Hey again!" The little man cackled. "I'd almost forgotten that we had some unfinished business."

Gaston smiled. "See?" He told Belle, who glared.

Lumiere responded not, but rekindled his flames in a panicked haze and attempted to burn LeFou. It was only after the first try that he realized that the man had himself completely covered in wraps-and was wearing special oven mitts from the castle's kitchen to protect the fragile skin beneath as well. When he saw that he could not escape, he tried to talk the man out of hurting him.

"L-Listen here," he stammered, his usually smooth tone of voice cracking from nervousness. But LeFou simply crammed a gloved thumb into what passed as Lumiere's mouth, silencing him immediately.

"What's that?" He teased, holding a free hand behind his large ear. "Couldn't hear ya. Try and burn me again. I dare you."

Belle was repulsed. She tore away from Gaston and approached LeFou with her hand outstretched. "Give him here."

"What?" He screeched, yanking Lumiere away. "No! Why would I do that?"

"Because he might burn you!"

"Yeah, I know. And gosh, it disturbs me. That's why I have all this gear!" He clunked himself on the head (a dish was upon it) for good measure. "Not bad, eh? Now, where were we?" He asked the candelabra, who shivered.

"Er...you were in ze middle of letting me go?" Lumiere muttered hopefully.

LeFou gave him a dumb look. "Nice try. Hey, Gaston? Can I keep this one?" He asked, "I'm just thinking of all the ways I could melt him! Ooh, there are so many ways to destroy it; bonfire, torch, flame-arrow. You think he'll die if I do that?"

"No!" Belle cried. "Leave him alone!"

Gaston thought for a moment. It was clear that she had feelings for the candelabra, as crazy as that sounded, seeing as it was nothing but an object, but perhaps he could use that against her. "Alright, alright, Belle. I'll compromise," he complied with amusement.

"You will?" She was surprised, but grateful all the same. "Oh, thank you-"

"After I do this." Gaston strutted over to LeFou, took hold of one of Lumiere's skinny arms and pinched the wick in the center of the wax "hand". Before the candelabra could protest, Gaston tore the wick from its holder, causing Lumiere to scream out in agony. Belle rushed forward to help, but she was too late. Gaston flicked the wick, and everyone watched with shock (LeFou and Gaston with glee) as it fluttered to the floor before Gaston proceeded the same action to Lumiere's other arm.

Before he knew it, both the wicks on Lumiere's arms were missing, and he was sweating wax from the pain alone. "Last one..." Gaston announced, and quickly yanked the largest wick: the one atop Lumiere's head, before flinging it on the ground to join the rest. Lumiere clenched his teeth.

"Aw, does that hurt?" LeFou sniggered. "Almost as much as being stabbed, hm?"

Lumiere would never admit it, but it hurt more than any injury he had ever gotten as a human, and that was saying something. It felt as if someone had taken ahold of his main artery and pulled it out of place. Instead, he gritted his teeth, bore it, and shook his head.

"Not a bit. After all, I'm no human," he firmly replied, effectively disguising the wavering affliction.

Anyone could see that Gaston was slightly disappointed, but it couldn't be helped. Anyway, he had bigger things to worry about.

"Put it with the others," he ordered LeFou, who sagged, wanting to have his own fun with the candelabra.

"The others?" Belle paused. "What do you mean?"

Gaston stopped in his tracks, debating with himself. On one hand, he didn't want Belle anywhere near his project, but on the other, what could he honestly hide from her? It's not like he could keep her forever in the dark. Chuckling maliciously and wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he replied, "Come with me and I'll show you. LeFou," he gestured with a free arm. "Follow us, quickly now."

Off they went, transient through long dark corridors and large flights of stairs. Gaston, who'd never really paid attention to the castle's decor, now observed with the upmost scrutiny, and marveled at its beauties. "What a fine place to live," he commented, passing by a marble statue of an unfamiliar face upon a marble stand. He ran his gloved fingers over it. "If only those pesky-GAH!"

He wretched his fingers away as everyone but Lumiere and Belle jumped, for the once immobile statue had come to life, snapping at his fingers with its marble teeth. It said nothing, but its intimidating demeanor was enough for Gaston. Thinking quickly, he grasped the marble statue by its base and chuckled it over a nearby railing, listening to its long fall and finally a fatal crash at the bottom as it met the floor.

Both Lumiere and Belle gasped as the statue shattered to pieces, and though they had not looked over the railing to see the crash, they knew it wasn't pretty. " _Pierre_..." Lumiere moaned, reaching uselessly towards the railing.

Shocked, Belle could only cover her mouth with both hands. "Lumiere," she rasped. "W-Was that-?"

"A friend," he revealed in despair. And it was true. Pierre had avoided most of the fight to hide as disguising himself as a simple inanimate object, but he was a good, loyal being. At least, he was while he lasted. "He was a good, good friend," he choked.

"Come along now," Gaston urged them all, shuddering lightly and straightening his belt. "We haven't much time."

They came to the front foyer without any more interruptions, to the relief of the captive ones, and Gaston placed a hand on the large doors that led to the outside courtyard. LeFou traveled close behind with a dizzy-with-physical-and-mental-pain Lumiere in hand.

"Ready?" Asked Gaston simply, and Belle gave a hesitant, confused nod.

"For-For what?" She was really afraid to ask.

"For this," Gaston answered ominously, and he opened the door, giving way to a Hell outside.

Smoke, ashes, and fire.

When Belle saw what they had been doing, she could have screamed. Instead, she covered her mouth. Lumiere did scream, though, for he was giving witness to the murders of most of his staff. In the courtyard of the palace, there was a multitude of carts, an array of bonfires, and a LOT of enchanted objects being thrown into said bonfires by the villagers that Belle knew.

"No!" She screamed at one man, who was just about to toss a shaking knife into the flames. She tried to tear away from Gaston, but he held her fast. "Let me go, Gaston! You can't do this to them!"

"Can't I?" He inquired curiously. "Let's find out." He gestured to the man still holding the terrified piece of delicate cutlery over the heat. The man nodded, and dropped the poor creature into the fire, which burned ferociously at the delicate material of the knife. Lumiere's jaw dropped in horror as he clutched at his face. He knew that knife-that was one of his dear friends: Alfonso, the foreign waiter who had come to the castle years ago and had unluckily gotten entrapped within the curse.

" _Monsieur_ Alfonso!" He cried out hoarsely, and the knife within the flames perked through the agony at the sound of the maître d''s voice.

"Lumiere!" He screamed. " _Mi jefe_! Save me!" But Lumiere could only watch when the screams began to quiet themselves as the flames overtook the last remaining threads of his life. And then he was gone, just like that. All that was left was a simple inanimate knife in the middle of the flames. It happened so quickly, that even Belle could not get to the flames fast enough to rescue the poor creature.

Staring horrified into the bonfire, Belle turned on her heels and tore for Gaston, who was watching smugly. "Y-You loathsome creature!" She shouted. "How _dare_ you!"

Gaston raised an eyebrow at her, slowly and quietly gritting his teeth, trying to control his temper. This wasn't at all what he envisioned his fiancé to act like, being the slight buffoon that he was. Well...he didn't expect her to be thrilled, now that he knew she was friends with these enchanted beings, but at the same time, he expected a little more decorum from his future wife. "Alright, LeFou," he snarled, turning to his henchman. "It's melting time." It was time to teach Belle where she stood.

Lumiere turned a ghostly white, while the man who was carrying him smiled an open-mouthed smile in his excitement. "Finally!" He exclaimed. "I never thought I'd live to see the day this little guy met his maker! And I'll make sure to take it slow."

"What?" The candelabra whispered, feeling the man's gloved fingers wrap around his base. He tensed, almost losing his smooth rich voice in the turmoil. "N-No!"

Belle could have fainted as her fiend was carried to the bonfire. "STOP!" She screamed. "NO MORE!" She clutched her hair, nearly tearing it out in her unabridged hysteria.

"No more? Stop?" Gaston took a knee where she was genuflected, "tsking" mellifluously. "Belle, you should know by now that it's not smart to insult me like that. It's not a woman's place to critique her future husband. I mean, you know that, don't you?"

Belle took one look at poor Lumiere, who was being held inches away from the fire and was breathing heavily with fear, and she broke. "Y-Yes, Gaston. I understand," she whispered, clutching the skirt of her blue dress.

"Wonderful!" He exclaimed happily, taking her hand in his. "Then shall we go?"

"Go?" She questioned, relieved when LeFou carefully drew the candelabra away from the fire (albeit begrudgingly). "Where?"

"Why, home of course!" And he gestured towards the woods, where his village was waiting on the other side. Belle followed his finger and sighed, her broken heart falling to the heels of her feet. The village? Her home?

"That _isn't my home anymore_ ," she thought despairingly, as Gaston led her up to his raven-shaded horse. He quickly mounted the animal as his whinnied softly.

"Whoah, boy," he scolded it, before holding a hand out to Belle. "My Dear," he offered politely, but Belle knew that it was all an act. Nonetheless, she knew in her heart that her friends would be harmed if she refused. So with great sadness and despair, she took the gloved hand into her own, and mounted the horse to sit behind Gaston.

...

 **To be continued very shortly!**


	4. Homeward Bound

**Author's Note: Wow, thank you so much for the reviews! I'm honored!**

 **And as I did before, I shall respond to each and every one of you!**

 **Belle: Ah, so it IS your real name. Super cool! Unfortunately, this IS going to be a Lumiere/Belle tale ( _Lumielle_ ), and there is nothing anyone can say that will change my mind about that. But don't worry. It won't be a rushed romance. It'll be gradual and flow as nicely as it can with the plot. I hope that the romance doesn't keep you from reading, so thanks for leaving the review!**

 **A Person Who Likes Comedy: Whoops! I do believe I forgot to respond to you last time. My sincerest apologies, my friend. I do hope you are having a good read so far! I've been working especially hard to further the plot and write these things out, and it's a lot harder than it sounds. Or looks.**

 **Lumiere8645: That sounds like an interesting idea for a climax. Though I'm unsure how Lumiere would actually do the deed, being a candelabra and all. But perhaps by then, the enchantress would have made an appearance and changed some things? Who knows? Gaston's master plan is also a toughie, and I'm still trying to figure it out. If you have any suggestions please write another review or message me if you want. :) Thanks again!**

 **Dearie: Writing Gaston's character isn't the smoothest of tasks, so I'm glad you're finding him enjoyable!**

 **Noname: Poor me! My fingers have gone absolutely numb from typing!**

 **Diamondback Mako: Thinking about what should happen is the only thing that helps ME get through work, haha! My upmost thanks for reading this chapter and leaving a constructive review. It's sometimes nice to get a review that just don't include happy faces and good jobs but something a bit longer and thoughtful. Not that I don't like those reviews that are short and sweet. ;) LeFou is definitely not done with Lumiere nor Cogsworth, so stay in your seat! We're not done yet.**

 **A Vegan: Might I suggest one of Ramsey's delectable steaks? Lol, just kidding. Thanks for leaving a review, that was really sweet of you! I do hope that you enjoy this chapter for I put a lot of effort into it and a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and other fluids.**

 **Gaston: Oh please. You little muttonhead!**

 **Noname: Gaston's master plan is a toughie that I'm still trying to figure out myself. If you have any ideas, please message me!**

 **singertobe: Well, if you keep reading, you'll find out. ;) Thanks for leaving a review, man! I really like your name by the way. It's so random!**

 **Bailey Noelle: Finally! Another person who likes Lumielle! Yes, I'm calling it that. That's gotta be my OTP as well! I came into the fandom looking for stories like that, and I was sad to discover that I only found one! One measly story out of a whopping thousand! I just had to add to the nonexistent pile, didn't I? I plan to write more one-shots surrounding those two in addition to this story. Maybe you could help? That would be super fun! :D**

 **And last but certainly not least...**

 **Unknown user: Uh, a crossover between Beauty and the Beast and Power Rangers? Well, I'm flattered that you want me to write that, and I'd love to, but unfortunately, I've never seen Power Rangers. And without knowing the source material, there's really nothing I can do. Thanks for the suggestion though!**

 **...**

The torrential rain had lessened into a light drizzle by the time every enchanted object and every human had been convened to begin the short journey back to the settlement. A thick mist had just settled over the courtyard, nearly choking everyone with its unwelcome aura. Everyone but Gaston, that is, who was having the time of his life up there on that high horse with a despondent Belle seated carefully behind him.

She had watched with bloodshot, runny eyes as the people she grew up with in her village destroyed her friends, the ones she had come to know all those months in the Beast's castle. Watched them scream. Watched them burn. Watched them die. It was too much. Too much for the young woman to witness firsthand. Her heart was quickly succumbing to an undying depression, which had first taken root when the Beast had been brutally murdered, right before her very eyes.

She had to bear it, though, if Lumiere-and of course the rest of the staff were to live. It was only fair, she assumed, for he had put his life on the line to protect her more than once now-even if several of those times had been against his will. But he would rather have died, she realized, as Gaston's horse began to trot towards the woods. Up on that balcony, when the enemy had held him over the edge, he had begged her to resist-even if that meant he would fall to his death.

" _So selfless,_ " Belle thought sullenly. " _He...He really cares about what happens to me...My now dearest friend, now that Beast has passed away... Lumiere..."_

 _..._

Lumiere was unceremoniously shoved into the cage against his will. The rough actions achieved him a few rough scrapes to his golden surface, and a few dents in his wax "hands" as he tried to catch himself when he fell, which greatly stung. Luckily, Cogsworth and the children were there to help pick him up from the cold metallic floor.

"Lumiere!" He cried, as well as the children, Chip, and Mrs. Potts from one cage over. "You're alive!"

They might've said more, but were rudely interrupted when LeFou shoved his face between the bars, frightening them enough to scoot back into a corner, although the two adult objects tried to put on brave faces for the children.

"Don't try anything funny," the little man warned, promptly locking the cage before he left them to shiver in the misty air. "Darn it..." he grumbled as he stalked away. "I really wanted to melt that one..."

Lumiere took one look at his friend and gasped. "Cogsworth, _mon ami!"_ He grasped the shoulders of the other enchanted being and stared, horrified. "W-What have they done to you?!" Indeed, the clock was in rather bad shape. Abrasions littered his body like whip marks and his glass door was utterly shattered. He smiled stanchly, though, through his agony. "Oh, not to worry, Lumiere. It's nothing that cannot be fixed." He failed to mention _who_ exactly would be fixing them, but the candelabra decided to let it slide for his friend's own sake, for now.

Mrs. Potts was across from them, her lid recovered, trying to soothe the terrified scullery drudges.

"Now, it's alright dears!" She tried to calm the shivering and softly crying teacups. "Everything will be just fine, you'll see."

"But Mama, where are they taking us?" Chip inquired, his little voice trembling with fear. Around him, his brothers and sisters murmured similar questions.

A sudden jerk caused them all to jolt, and they all realized that the wagon had begun to move. That was it, then. They were off. Lumiere hopped over to the barred wall of one side of the cage and grasped them. He stared out at what he could, being surrounded by other covered cages and whatnot. They were really on their way. It had been ten years since they had left behind the courtyard, the gates of the castle property. Some, who had so little faith that the Beast would find love, had left the castle in search for something more. What happened to them, nobody knew. But now it was their turn...

"I do believe that they are taking us to the village," Cogsworth informed the teacup without thinking much of just whom he was talking to, and just how sensitive he should really be. "To bloody sell us!" He scoffed, gesturing to his broken body. "Preposterous idea, isn't it? I don't know to whom I'd be much use, now that I'm tarnished-"

" _Cogsworth_!" Both Lumiere and Mrs. Potts hissed, and the children all cried out in horror at the news.

"Sell us?" One shouted.

"Like slaves?" Cried another.

"No! I don't wanna!" Chip whimpered, and would have covered his "ears" had he had hands.

"Keep it down in there!" Shouted a villager walking alongside the wagon, and he struck the cage with a club, causing everyone within it to jolt and shriek.

" _Mon Dui!_ Well done; you've frightened them," Lumiere groaned quietly, palming his forehead with a wax "hand" once the villager moved on. " _Quelle folie!"_

"Wha-? Well, excuse me!" Cogsworth sputtered haughtily, putting his "hands" on his wooden framework. "But this is no time to sugar-coat things. Not when we're potentially headed for disaster. Not that you would know that, foolish waxen-"

" _Enough_!" Lumiere shouted, stunning everyone present. "Enough," he repeated softer when the villager returned with a warning look. He was finding it harder and harder to contain himself on the premise that he had perceived his own friends' demises. Witnessing those things had damaged his temperament to a certain to degree he was unsure of.

Once the villager moved on once more, he spoke again. "I-I apologize, _mon ami_. That wasn't...necessary. I just..." he rubbed the space between his eyes and sighed sadly. "Pierre," he revealed, "has met the end of the road, and Alfonso has too..."

"Oh, not Pierre," Cogsworth whispered, and they shared a small silence for their lost friends. "Alfonso... I witnessed them throwing him into the-" he paused, glancing at the children, and held his tongue.

 _Je_ _suis d_ _ésolé_ -" Lumiere started, but Cogsworth held up a small metallic hand.

"No, don't apologize," he assured his friend with a sigh, rubbing the back of his "neck". "I suppose around children I-I could've kept quiet."

"...What can we do?" Lumiere muttered quietly, as to not let the fumbling, shaking youngsters around him hear.

"Why, escape, of course!" Cogsworth replied with a whisper after looking about to make sure no villager was listening, making a determined fist in the process.

"They cannot contain us forever," Mrs. Potts agreed, overhearing them from her own cage.

"Exactly! We'll find a way, mark my words," Cogsworth promised when Lumiere looked at him with evident uncertainty.

The candelabra blinked. "And how do you propose we do that?" He asked doubtfully. "Even if we did manage to escape, what then? Gaston's men have completely taken over ze castle and there is nowhere else that we can go!"

Cogsworth stared at him, as did everyone else present, causing him to fidget. "Goodness gracious, what's got you so pessimistic all of a sudden?" He asked.

Lumiere glared at him. " _Death_ , _mom ami_. I've witnessed the cruelty of mankind today. Not just to Alfonso and Pierre, but my late love." He glanced over his friend's form and sighed sadly. "Surely you have too, by the looks of it."

"I have," Cogsworth admitted. "And I'm so sorry about Fifi. She was a good person."

"Yes... She was," Lumiere murmured in remembrance, bowing his head, and Cogsworth put a hand on his shoulder. "I...I don't know if I can live on, knowing what happened to her.

"Chap, listen here," the clock assured, "She is no longer cursed as we are. She is free in the heavens."

Lumiere glanced at him, and it must be confessed that he teared up before swallowing hard. But it was nice to hear that she was no longer under the burden of the spell. That she was indeed free like a bird. " _Oui_... I understand," he mumbled. "It's just...its hard to lose someone."

"She wasn't just a...ahem...a bed bug?" Cogsworth asked awkwardly.

Lumiere glared at him. "Of course not! She meant more to me than zat!"

Chip blinked as he watched the adults converse, and nudged one of his sisters. "Why is he crying?" He asked softly before turning to his mother. "Mama, why is _Monsieur_ Lumiere crying?"

Mrs. Potts smiled sadly at her young son, and decided it best to put it gently. "Chip, you need to understand that life doesn't last for an eternity."

"But Mama, _ours_ do," Chip reminded her. "Ever since the enchantress came, right?"

 _Right_. Ever since the enchantress came all those years ago, everyone except for the Beast hadn't aged a bit. The children were the proof. If everything were normal and they had never been turned into inanimate objects, Chip would be seventeen by now. But since the curse ten years ago, time stood still with the servants in the castle.

Mrs. Potts knew this, but she needed a reason other than death by murder. "He's lost someone very near and dear to him, love," she told him gently. "I think it'd be best if we let it be."

"Oh," Chip mumbled, feeling a bit sickish upon hearing the news. He looked to Lumiere, and before his mother could stop him, he hopped up to the candelabra and nuzzled his golden base with his cheek, as he had no arms to hug with.

Lumiere paused his conversation with Cogsworth and the two adults looked down to the teacup with surprise written all over their faces.

"It's okay, _Monsieur_ ," Chip cooed, smiling brightly up at Lumiere. "You still have us! And we'll always take care of each other, right everyone?" The children all giggled, spirits lifting as Lumiere's heart began to mend in crooked ways. He could always count on Chip to lift the dreary mood.

" _Merci_ ," he thanked the young child, who giggled before hopping back to his mother, who gave him a grateful smile. "Good work, love," she told him through the bars separating them.

...

Gaston's horse, _Viril_ quietly trotted on, its head held high, it gorgeous black mane flowing with the slight wind. Upon it perched a proud Gaston, and seated before him was Belle, hunched over like a haggard elder, quiet tears spilling out of her eyes and down her face.

She couldn't stop thinking about what lay ahead in the near future. Never before could she even have imagined that she would marry Gaston, that cruel, vile snake. Never. And now it was actually happening! Belle sniffed, rubbing her eyes with a free hand as the other clutched the horse's mane.

 _"If I have to marry him, I-...I don't think I could possibly bear the thought of living,"_ she thought miserably. _"But I have to do it. He's cleverer than I thought; he's used my friends against me!"_ She pursed her lips and shut her dull hazel eyes. _"Oh, what am I going on about?! Not being able to bear the thought of living-ha! No, that's perfectly ridiculous. I need to stop thinking about myself and start thinking about others for a moment. The castle staff-Lumiere...Cogsworth...Mrs. Potts...Chip...they're in trouble, and I need to find a place safe enough for them to stay! But where on earth do I find a place suitable enough for a talking enchanted being?"_

She thought for a moment and then opened her eyes. _"Papa... When we find him, soon, hopefully, he can fix them up and have them in his shop. They can stay at our-his house!"_ She remembered desolately that now that she was going to be married to Gaston, she was going to have to move into his place, but...

 _"As long as they are safe...I am happy. I am happy,"_ she repeated in her head. _"I am happy if they are safe. I am happy if_ **he** _is safe."_

Gaston couldn't stop thinking about the wedding; the future, how he won the battle. It was a calamitous one to be sure, but like always, he had come out on top, just like he was always meant to. And now he had what he'd always wanted: Belle.

Did he need her love? No, he just wanted her...well...her! Did he need her support? Well, that was different; of course he needed that. He wanted to have kids with her, six or seven strapping boys like him, and how could he if she downright refused? He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. It could take a while but he would eventually straighten her out. It would probably take...persuasion of some sort. Why else would he keep that ugly candlestick alive?

...

"But hear this: what if all we needed to do was burn through those ropes?" Cogsworth pointed to the ropes holding down them all on the wagon, which was not far from their reach.

He and Lumiere had been arguing quietly for the last ten minuets over what escape route they should take, and they hadn't agreed on one...yet.

Lumiere stared blankly at him. "And then what?"

Cogsworth shrugged. "Erm, w-well, perhaps the force of our fall-"

"You mean crashing onto the ground?" One of the children interrupted, overhearing the plans.

"Correct! The force of the crash would bust this cage open-we open the door to Mrs. Potts', and anyone else's-then we make a break for it and hide in the woods!" He cleared his throat, motioning to the ropes keeping them steady. "Ahem. Lumiere, would you mind?"

The candelabra sighed and held out his golden "arms", to show everyone why he wouldn't be much use. "No wicks. Not anymore." He forlornly revealed.

Mrs. Potts gasped, and would have covered her mouth had she hands. She had assumed that he hadn't illuminated himself due to his depression. "Oh, my poor _Dear_ -"

"It matters not. What does is what happens to Belle, her father-and us of course," Lumiere told her, completely brushing off the fact that he had been disabled of his fire control. "If we escape, Gaston has no leverage to use against her."

"Oh, that poor girl has been through so much," Mrs. Potts sighed.

"We all have," Cogsworth agreed.

"And her father-" the teapot paused, turned her back, and scoured the woods, searching, "-we don't know where he is, do we?"

"Oh!" Chip perked, and hopped upward. "I do!" All eyes turned to him.

"Do you?" His mother exclaimed. "Where?"

"Well, when we came to the castle, Belle went inside and told her dad to wait for her," Chip revealed. "He's probably hiding in the woods!"

"Where in the woods, young man?" Cogsworth asked the teacup.

"Oh..." Chip sagged guiltily, as he failed to know that bit of important information. "I dunno."

The three adults made eye contact. Well, so much for that. Although it did let them know that he wasn't at the castle. "Perhaps we'll run into him during our journey?" Cogsworth suggested with uncertainty.

"Perhaps..."

They were quiet again for quite some time.

"I can't imagine what she's going through. What he's been going through... What _we've_ been going through...and they were so close, weren't they?" Lumiere moaned.

Mrs. Potts sighed sadly. "After all this time, the master finally learned to love."

"But she never did return those feelings, did she?" Cogsworth muttered.

"Afraid not. Otherwise we'd be human again," Lumiere responded glumly.

...

Maurice was indeed hiding in the woods, but he wasn't alone. Alongside him was his trusty horse, Philippe. He had wanted to follow Belle into the castle, but when she insisted him that he stay...well...she knew more about that place than he did, and she seemed to know what she was doing.

Now to see her on the back of Gaston's horse, miserable and desolate with a trail of carts following closely behind with cages filled with enchanted servants, he could have blown his top, and therefore, his cover.

Instead, he tried to startle them, maneuvering Philippe to the center of the road and without warning.

"Belle!" He shouted, effectively managing to shock Gaston's horse. Said horse reared and whinnied, disheveling both riders from its back.

"Oof! Papa!" Belle cried as she landed hard on the ground.

"Belle," Maurice shouted again, this time with concern as he rushed to his daughter. "Are you alright?" He asked frantically, helping her sit up. "What's going on? Where's the Beast? Why are you with...?" He looked up to Gaston, who'd quickly situated his horse and glared down at him.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Sir Maurice," he chuckled, maintaining his intimidating composure. "How do y' do on this fine morning?"

"Ah, so it's _Sir Maurice_ this time. Not " _the crazy ol' loon_ "?" Maurice asked angrily, putting his hands on his hips.

Gaston gasped, putting a hand over his broad chest. "Of course not!" He exclaimed. "Why in the world would I call my own future father-in-law such a thing?"

"Fa-Father-in-law?" Maurice repeated, appalled. "Belle," he whispered to his mentally beaten daughter in confusion, "what is he talking about?"

Mrs. Potts craned as far as she could to possibly catch a glimpse of what was going on at the head of the wagon trail. "Is-Is that who I think it is?" She asked, a real smile growing on her porcelain face. "Is it _he_?!"

"It is!" Lumiere exclaimed. "Oh, thank _Dui_ he's alright!"

"I wanna see!" Chip whined, and Cogsworth gently picked him up to give him a better view.

"Ah, so you haven't told him about our little arrangement?" Gaston was smirking, rearing his horse.

Belle scoffed softly, folding her arms. "Well, seeing how we just met up with each other, I don't see how I would have told him before," she pointed out, but her father didn't understand.

"Arrangement?" He repeated, even more confused. "Belle, what is he talking ab-?" He stopped upon soaking in the defeated expression on her face, one like he had never seen before.

"Papa, we-...we're getting married," she quietly confessed.

"Married?!" He gasped, grasping her shoulders. "But Belle, you shouldn't!"

"I don't have a choice!" She cried, and Gaston frowned. "Trust me," she continued, a little quieter. "There is nothing I'd love more than to be free from this marriage, and I'd rather die than be infatuated with that cruel, cold hearted snake, but..."

"Gosh, you could at least pretend," Gaston scoffed under his breath and smoothed back his raven hair.

Maurice was shocked. "Now wait just a minute," he snapped, turning to Gaston and wrapping his arms protectively around his daughter. "There's no chance I'm allowing a brute such as yourself to marry my little girl. No chance!"

"Papa wait-"

" _Brute_? I'm wounded," Gaston sneered. "Remember what I'm capable of, old man, and of what you are: mad."

"I am NOT mad!" Maurice shouted, startling everyone. "Everyone knows that now! The Beast is real!"

" _Was_ real."

"...What?" Maurice stared at Gaston, and then looked to his daughter, who looked close to crying herself.

"Papa, he-" Belle looked to Gaston, who gave her a warning look. "He passed away the night we returned."

"...Oh, my dear, I'm so sorry," he apologized gently, taking her delicate hands in his callused ones. He hadn't known the Beast for very long. In fact, the only time he HAD was when he'd been imprisoned, his daughter giving up her freedom for him shortly after. But she was a smart girl and had apparently the skill of turning the Beast around for the better.

"Don't you worry... Things will work out in the end. You'll see," he assured her, but Belle was nearly inconsolable at that point. Her father's face fell when she broke eye contact.

LeFou popped up, finally catching up to the head of the wagon trail. "Maurice!" He greeted, letting out a huge grin. "Long time no see!"

Maurice glared, having remembered what LeFou had done to him back in the village. "Get away from me, you cretin," he growled threateningly. Thankfully, LeFou recognized the danger signals right away and scurried off before Maurice could hit him or something.

"Papa, I'm so glad you're okay," Belle finally said, honestly relieved as she gave her father another hug. "Would you like to come back to the village with us? There's room in the wagons, if you'd like."

Maurice smiled and rubbed her shoulders. "Of course, my dear," he answered sweetly. "Will you join me?"

Belle nodded her head quickly before Gaston could say a word. "I...I would love to, Papa, but..." she looked to Gaston and then back to be father. "We have a lot to catch up on, don't we? Don't worry. We will when we get home."

"Home? But-"

She tugged him close. "Gaston doesn't want me near them," she whispered in his ear. " _Keep Lumiere safe_."

...

It took a lot of negotiating and threatening from both sides before Gaston finally agreed that Maurice could join the enchanted objects in the back of the wagon train. Belle would have to remain up front, however, with Gaston in order for that to happen.

So when the enchanted objects saw Maurice approaching, they all jumped for joy. And who could blame them for being excited at the arrival of this old man after all the hardship they had endured?

"Bonjour _, Monsieur!"_ Lumiere greeted happily, gracefully enacting a deep bow to the man, who chuckled as he sat down next to the cages. "It has been a while, no?"

"Bonjour!" He replied, equally as happy, but gasped as he looked over the state of the enchanted objects. "Why, you're all a mess!" He exclaimed in horror. They all sagged. "Oh, I'm sorry," he quickly amended. "I meant nothing by it; I'm just concerned. What happened?"

"Gaston, I'm afraid," Mrs. Potts sighed. "It's been a long night for all of us. Thankfully, your arrival has brightened up the day, if only by a little."

"Oh, my sincerest apologies, Mademoiselle," Maurice respectfully apologized, saddened by the state of the once bright, cheerful beings he'd come to know during his short time at the castle. "When we get back home, I'll make sure to fix you all up. It's my specialty, you know."

"Is it really?" Mrs. Potts asked, her eyes shining. "I can't thank you enough, Sir."

Maurice smiled, remembering their kindness to him when he had first entered the castle, and how eager they were to help him. And then he remembered.

"Which one of you is Lumiere?" He asked, scouring them all.

Cogsworth raised an eyebrow and Mrs. Potts blinked before both she and the clock slowly glanced at the candelabra, which raised a golden arm hesitantly.

"Ah, zat would be me, Monsieur," he confessed, hopping forward. "Em, if you don't mind my asking: eh, how is it that you know my name?"

Maurice looked him over skeptically and folded his arms. Ah, so this was Lumiere. The candelabra—the first enchanted object he had met in that castle. "Well…" How could he explain this without sounding like an overprotective father? "It seems as though my daughter has taken a liking to you," he replied with amusement written all over his face. "She asked me specifically to keep you out of harm's way."

There was a moment's silence.

"Me?" Lumiere sputtered, surprised, and it must be confessed that Cogsworth snorted impolitely after raising his eyebrows in surprise. "Oh, but _Monsieur_ , there must be some mistake-" Lumiere tried, elbowing Cogsworth in the side.

"There is no mistake," Maurice confirmed. "I don't know why Gaston seems to have it out for you, but he does." Lumiere cringed. It figured. "And my daughter wants to make sure that he doesn't lay a finger on ya. Even if that means sacrificing her freedom."

Lumiere sagged miserably. "I told her not to bother, _mom ami_."

The old man sighed. "She's headstrong, just like her mother. She'd do anything to keep her loved ones safe, and that apparently means you now too."

The wagon stopped.

"We're here! Let the auction begin!"

* * *

 **Author's Note: Uh oh. The auction… What does this mean for our heroes? …I actually am not quite sure yet. Still need to think of a plot over here… Ideas, anyone?**


	5. Returning Home

**Author's Note: Boy oh boy, am I excited about the feedback I've been receiving! You know when I first started the story I didn't think I would get a lot of feedback in the first place because a lot of people don't seem to like the pairing that I've chosen, which is perfectly understandable but I was hoping that everyone would give the story a chance even if it's not what they were expecting. Besides, I love** ** _Lumielle_** **! And there isn't anything on this earth that can possibly change my mind about that. Yeah, I'm stubborn, if any of you hadn't noticed.**

 **Time to commence the responses!**

 **Belle: That's such an interesting idea, and I might take that into account! Oh, and come now. You weren't being snarky, you were just trying to help! That's what your job as a reviewer is. Besides that, I love hearing from you. And to be honest, I try to pretend I'm talking to the real Belle when I read your reviews, haha! Oh yeah, and Gaston is truly…well…I wouldn't say evil-evil, but he's definitely evil. I think he may get what's coming to him in the near future. ;)**

 **Noname: That's something I'll definitely think about. And yes! Belle's father is back and ready to rock and roll!**

 **Claudaujay: I'm very pleased to hear that you took the initiative to try and read something new, while most would simply turn away from this story the moment they saw it was a LumierexBelle tale. And thank you for the critique! I admit, I try to make everything as detailed as possible, but there are times when I rush too quickly and find that it LOOKS rushed, which is the exact opposite of what I want. So thanks again for review, and I hope you critique me again in the future. And if you have any ideas as to where this story should go, please let me know! Because I am writing this as I go along, believe it or not.**

 **Guest: Unfortunately, I wasn't the biggest fan of the 2017 version of Beauty and the Beast, believe it or not. I thought it was like a carbon copy of the cartoon, and you gotta admit, the new songs kinda sucked. Plus, the animation for the Beast was just…well…animation. I really thought makeup could've been better. Haha! But thank you ever so for the suggestion!**

 **Diamondback Mako: You're a teacher? Sweet! That's what I want to be when I graduate college! Preferably with older children, but you know. ;) I really like your idea about Maurice buying Mr. Potts or at least some of her children to keep them safe, so I just HAVE to incorporate that into my story. Hope you don't mind! :) As for Cogsworth being purchased by LeFou… That has to be the single greatest idea I've heard all day! Perhaps he could be used as a punching bag in the tavern where all the guys hang pout? Haha, poor Cogsworth XD He's one of my favorites as well, but if you've read my "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Fanboy and Chum Chum" stories, you'd know that I love to torture my favorites. I'm not sure why it's fun. It just is!**

 **R.M. Tepes: That's actually a really good way to allow the enchantress to become a part of the story! Unfortunately, I have already plans as to whom is going to be bought and sold, but I'll try to incorporate that into the story if I can. So many of you have been giving me great ideas, and I wish I could use every single one of them in my story. Thank you so much for reviewing and I hope you do so again!**

 **Singertobe: When I was little, I wanted to be Mulan, but that never happened, did it? Nah, I'm sure your chances of being a singer are way higher than mine could ever be. Haha! I mean, I can sing, but I ain't Mulan, amirite? And YES! THE AUCTION! MWUHAHAHAHA! It is finally happening! Truth be told I've never actually been to an auction before so this is going to be kind of tricky for me to write.**

 **CassandraDayTree: I had no intention of killing Lumiere off, but now that you mention it…hm… Stop giving me horrible ideas! XD**

 **A Person Who Likes Comedy: A freak show circus? That was actually my first idea, OMG! How'd you know?! I guess great minds think alike, eh? When I was first writing this that was my first idea that Gaston could organize some sort of freak show and carry the objects around the country, putting on performances and such. It's a great idea, but maybe for another story.**

 **...**

Out of the woodlands and into a golden lea of wheat emerged the wagon sequence, treading gradually out of the bleak ambiance of the forest into the soft warm rays of the sun. Most of the exhausted villagers, who hadn't slept for over a day, sighed and stretched their muscles with relief, happy to be out of that horrid weather.

"We're here," Gaston affirmed to his fiancé, and them to himself, muttered, "Let the auction begin…"

The enchanted objects were spellbound by the lovely view of massifs in the distance, of checkered-colored trees dotting the hilltops, and of the sweet-smelling golden grass of the fields, for they hadn't stepped outside the castle borders for over ten years. Most of them had forgotten what the outside world looked like.

"Wow!" Chip breathed, predicaments forgotten as he hopped up and down to get a better look of the beauty bestowed before them. "It's _so_ pretty!" His siblings oohed in awe as well.

"So it is," his mother agreed, her eyes wide as she drank up the sight.

Cogsworth, always the 'philocalist', had craned as far over the teacups as his wooden body would allow him to just to relish in the warm sun and dry out his damp mahogany. Lumiere joined him, grasping the metal bars of their cage to catch a glimpse of the dazzling landscape.

" _Mon Dui_ ," he said under his breath, a rare smile spreading across his waxen face. "Fifi would have loved this," he gushed in delight, allowing the horror at present to slip his mind. "It's absolutely magnificent!"

"Isn't it at all?" Cogsworth agreed, unable to tear his eyes away. He felt terribly sorry for his fellow enchanted objects, like the doorman, plates, footman, and other silverware, whose cages had been covered with parchments, obscuring their view of everything.

"What's it like?" Hissed the doorman, and Cogsworth told him.

The wagon stopped with a soft creak, the spokes of the wheels settling uncomfortably as it came to a halt. Gaston tugged the reigns of his horse; gently ushering him to stop as well as the village came into view. Just one field over, and they would begin the mart.

The striking change in atmosphere did little to lift Belle's heart. It had been pained too much, too fast. All she could do was just stare at her old home, the place she was raised in, the village she hadn't seen in over several months. It was insane, but comforting to see that nothing had seemed to change-appearance wise-about the place at all. However, knowing that its occupants had conquered her new home and had taken tenure over her new friends made her quite nauseous indeed.

"Home," she inadvertently uttered with a hefty sigh, and Gaston gently squeezed her shoulder.

"That's right, Belle," he established pompously. "A home, wedding, and auction await us!"

The young woman clenched her fists, and tensed, beset at the thought of any of those occurring. That was right. Gaston had the intention to make a profit off of her dear friends. He planned to sell them to various noblemen and women, and perhaps to the wealthy ones in their village if they showed interest. Which they most likely would. Who wouldn't be gripped by walking, talking enchanted objects?

And the Beast. Belle closed her eyes, gritting her teeth as she struggled not to cry. Only the Lord knew what Gaston was planning to do with the body... Knowing him and his collective persona, however, the beast's head would probably be hanging overhead a mantelpiece by the end of the week.

"Which do you think should come first?" Gaston asked her, wrapping an arm around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Oh, why does it matter?" Belle sharply dismissed, shrugging him off of her and dismounting from the horse before landing gracefully on the soft grassy ground. "Either way," she went on, "you'll be so _pleased_ with yourself..."

"What are you doing?" He asked in confusion as she walked past a cautious villager.

"Mademoiselle..." the bystander started, but Belle shook her head.

"I'd rather walk the rest of the way, thank you," she announced, and began her trek to the much more guarded area of the wagon train, which had just begun to move again, with her head held high.

The villager made a move to grab the young woman and drag her back up to the front, but Gaston held up a hand.

"But, _Monsieur_ -"

"Keep an eye on her, my good man. That's all you need to do."

...

Lumiere, who had been watching the entire time, barked out a slight laugh of disbelief. "Did you see that?" He asked Cogsworth, furrowing his brows when his friend failed to answer. " _Mon ami?"_

Cogsworth, it seemed, was still under the spell of the view, and Lumiere gave him an amused look. "I simply must sketch this out," he was sighing to the doorman, "Oh, if only I had fingers-"

"Cogsworth!" Lumiere elbowed the clock and gestured to Belle, who was coming their way.

"Oh!" The clock exclaimed with great surprise. "Why, she's coming! But-" he frowned. "-how?" Lumiere smiled and shook his head, knowing that his friend had missed pretty much everything.

"That's my girl," Maurice chuckled as Belle approached, and he helped her stop of the moving wagon, allowing her to sit beside him and the cages. "Still want to walk?"

Belle allowed herself to smile and respectfully folded her hands on her lap. "I suppose I could visit," she admitted. "If not for a while."

Maurice's joyful face softened into one of sympathy. "How are you holding up, my dear?" He asked gently, wrapping an arm around her petite shoulders. The young woman's lips stretched into a thin line. Well...she didn't want to worry her father anymore than this predicament already had, so she gave her best smile and managed a small, "Fine."

...

Back up at the front, LeFou was more than confused. "Gaston," he asked, borderline frantic, "are you sure it's okay for her to be back there with those things? And with her father too? What if they-?"

"LeFou," Gaston sharply cut in, "That area is heavily guarded." He gestured toward the end of the wagon train, which was indeed packed with villagers walking along either side. "I doubt we'll have a problem." Anyone could tell he was angry with Belle leaving him alone. It was more than evident.

"But what if they start plotting something?" LeFou muttered uneasily. "I mean, aren't you worried?"

Gaston would never admit that he was anxious, not even to himself. He was far too buoyant for that. "Not at all," he smoothly replied. "If they do try anything, my men will report it back to me."

"Well...alright," LeFou sighed.

"That means you," Gaston reminded the little man, pointing towards the back of the wagon train, and LeFou pouted.

"Dang it," he grouched, stomping towards the back.

...

"Oh, I just have to hug you again!" Maurice whispered, and he wrapped his arms around his daughter, who laughed and returned the hug just as lovingly.

"Likewise, Papa."

The enchanted objects watched the exchange and smiled at each other. They were so pleased to have Belle and her father reunited after so many months apart. It made them think, made them wonder if they were solely to blame for the separation, and if it had all been for nothing. After all, they weren't human again.

" _No, it wasn't for nothing,"_ Lumiere thought to himself. _"If she hadn't have come, then we never would have met such a special young woman. And now, we have another purpose. We may not be human again, but we have responsibility again. I-We need to keep her safe."_

"So I've been thinking," Maurice told them all, snapping Lumiere out of his thought process. The man lowered his voice so that the villagers walking on either side of them couldn't pick up on what he was saying. "If Gaston is really planning an auction, than maybe I should buy the children and their mother." He gestured to Mrs. Potts and the teacups. "You know, to keep them safe. Would that be alright with any of you?"

Mrs. Potts' dreary face grew brighter with a big smile of hope, only for it to be wiped off by a certain clock. "It sounds fine to me, but don't you believe Gaston will raise the prices if you do that?" Cogsworth gently put out. The children, who had only now been looking forward to this plan, all groaned in disappointment. "I doubt he'll want you to buy the children for personal reasons, since you're Belle's father and all."

Maurice, clever as he was, hadn't thought of that. "Oh, well..." He thought for a moment. "Well, if I can't buy any of you...maybe we could just stall."

"Stall?" Lumiere was interested. "How do you propose we do that, _Monsieur_?"

"Well, I doubt any nobleman or noblewoman will want to buy you in the condition you're all in," he vaguely gestured to them all. "No offense."

"None taken, _Monsieur_ ," the candelabra brushed off, and Belle smiled a small smile at him, which he returned.

"Well, hear this. I can take you all in my shop, fix you up, and when the moment is right," Maurice lowered his voice, "you can make your escape."

"Are you certain Gaston will allow you to do that?" Mrs. Potts inquired with uncertainty.

"I'm sure he will, if he wants to make a profit," the old man pointed out.

Lumiere nodded. It was a reasonable plan, but something was nagging him... "Where do we go if we do escape?" He asked.

Maurice bit his lip. "That's hard to say, and I think that's something you need to ask yourselves. Where do you WANT to go?"

"Anywhere but here," Cogsworth sighed, "I'm afraid. I personally wouldn't mind being a part of a catering service, since I was head of household."

"And I wouldn't mind continuing my career as maître d'," Lumiere put in. "I'm not whole without a soul to wait upon."

"Serving guests has always been a pleasure of mine," Mrs. Potts admitted. "Is there a tavern here? Perhaps they'd be interested in buying us. That wouldn't be so bad."

"It wouldn't," Maurice agreed, "if that wasn't the place where Gaston and his lackeys mosey about."

"Ah..." That was the last thing they wanted.

What about Belle?" Lumiere inquired. Everyone looked at him, including Belle, who looked just a little surprised and a bit pleased.

"I'm quite certain she can take of herself." That was Cogsworth, and Lumiere elbowed him in the side. That was becoming a new habit of his, since he had no wicks to burn anymore. The clock yelped out in surprise at the sudden jab, and rubbed his sore side accordingly and glared at his friend.

"Cogsworth, I am surprised at you!" Lumiere exclaimed. "She is still our guest, isn't she?"

"Quite," Cogsworth reluctantly admitted. " _But_ she's not our responsibility anymore-"

"Oh, but it is our duty to serve our guests, is it not?" Lumiere pointed out.

"We may not be in the best, ah- _situation_ to do so, old friend."

"But she needs our help!"

" _WE_ need help, Lumiere!"

"Here they go again," Mrs. Potts sighed, and would have the rubbed the space between her eyes had she hands. "Jabbering on as usual."

"At least it's not a petty argument," Belle amended with a small smile and sigh for her friends' sake. She wasn't the least bit offended by Cogsworth if one were to really think about it. Her predicament, while ghastly, wasn't as nearly as physically dangerous as her enchanted friends' one. Their lives were in danger. Their wellbeing! And Gaston had an actual grudge against Lumiere while LeFou had one against Cogsworth! She couldn't let that slide, and understood why Cogsworth was bitter the way he was. _She_ was the one, after all, who had shown the village the Beast with that magic mirror.

Mrs. Potts smiled at her sadly. "Of course not, Dear. Now, boys!" She snapped, catching both Lumiere and Cogsworth off guard and mid-argument with her firm tone. "How is it that both of you see fit to scrabble like cats and dogs at a time like this?"

Both of them had the courtesy to blush guiltily, for neither of them had an answer to that.

"Lumiere, I understand your concern about Belle, and Cogsworth, I understand your concern over the others, and that is perfectly acceptable!" She exclaimed. "We're ALL going through hard times right now, and no life is more valuable or more precious than the lives of each and every one of us."

Maurice raised his eyebrows, impressed by her words. "Quite the speaker."

Mrs. Potts beamed at him. "Great big speeches come along with being a mother, I'm afraid. Chip and his siblings understand that more than anyone."

"I beg your pardon, _mademoiselle_ ," Lumiere tried to apologize, but the porcelain teapot just sighed.

"How I wish you two could just work together for once..."

"I'm sure we can all come together," Belle whispered quietly so that the villagers on either side of them could not hear, "if we really try and believe in each other."

"Ahem. Quite right," Cogsworth agreed awkwardly, and he had the courtesy to look sheepish. "I-I do apologize, Madame," he said to Belle, who smiled kindly.

"Apology accepted," she affirmed, and the clock wiped his forehead with relief.

"Belle," Maurice started slowly. All eyes turned to him as he tried to think out a plan for his daughter. "If everything goes to complete...well, you know, you should run. Just run away when you get the chance."

"And go where, Papa?" Belle shrugged her shoulders. "As much as I'd like to abandon this place, I can't just leave my friends behind. I can't leave you behind either."

Lumiere tried to persuade her, "But, Mademoiselle, are you sure? For us?

She smiles and takes his waxed hand in her own and pats it gently. "You know I am, _Monsieur_. For you."

That stole his breath, and Belle quickly added, "All of you." She smiled at her friends. "What _about_ all of you?" She asked. "What do think we should do?"

"Play it by ear?" Cogsworth shrugged, and everyone stared at him with surprise.

"What? No elaborate plans?" Lumiere inquired curiously. "Nothing?" Usually, his friend was quite the perfectionist, and would not enact anything unless he knew that it was up to his standards. But this WAS different than the typical predicament they would be up against back at the castle.

"Well, as of right now I have no idea what will happen," Cogsworth admitted. "I don't know if Gaston truly intends to sell us or if he just wants to keep us as his play things. As leverage, that is. That's all we are to him, anyway."

"Leverage?" Belle whispered, covering her mouth. "You knew about-?"

"Afraid it wasn't inconspicuous, my dear," Mrs. Potts sighed sadly. "That horrid man-you mustn't allow him to cheapen you, child. Keep your chin up. And if you really do marry him..." she trailed off, unsure of what to say next, but Belle smiled at her reassuringly.

"I understand, Madame."

Lumiere personally couldn't stand the thought of Belle marrying that cretin. It would've made him burn had he wicks. But there was really nothing he could do about it.

Unless...he conjured up a proper plan to put Gaston in his place. But how could he do that? He was absolutely no match for the man's strength, and even as a human, Lumiere was very lanky. Trying to fight Gaston would be like punching a boulder, and would bring nothing but pain on his end.

But would the pain be worth it? That's what Lumiere was asking himself as the wagon came to a final stop.

"Here we are!" Came Gaston's announcement, rearing his horse. Belle looked up and felt the color drain from her face. All around were villagers who _hadn't_ come to raid the castle. She couldn't blame them for being curious, but these WERE the same folks who ganged up against her and her father. What were they going to do now?

And then she remembered… The Beast. His body. _Here_.

The enchanted teacups all clamored about, trying to get a better look while traveling villagers sighed with relief. Lumiere and Belle caught each other's eyes just as LeFou covered up the cage with a parchment. The teacups within the cage all cried out at the sudden darkness, and the innocent villagers gathering about all reared back with surprise.

"Mama, what was that?" a small child asked her mother, and her brother tried to get a closer look.

"Ready to go?" LeFou asked Belle, whom was just beginning to protest him covering up the cage, when Maurice put a hand on her shoulder. "Gaston is waiting," the little man pointed out, jabbing a thumb towards the front of the line.

"They'll be fine," her father promised. "I'll make sure of it myself. Gaston!" He called up to the front of the wagon train. He hopped off and went towards the front, where Gaston was waiting skeptically.

As they chatted, Belle carefully watched as LeFou walked off, and she carefully lifted the parchment, only to come nose-to-nose with Lumiere as he tried to stick his head through the bars.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, drawing away. "My apologies, _Monsieur_!"

"No, no!" He assured her, beckoning with his wax "hands" for her to quiet down. She obeyed, and leaned in to whisper.

"How is everyone holding up in there?" She asked, trying not to think about the Beast.

"Splendid!" Came Cogsworth's sarcastic reply. "I mean, we've only been abducted from our home and stuffed in a cage." Belle looked around and paled. There were people _everywhere_. What if they heard? What if they grew suspicious of her?

"Oh, quiet down," Came the scolding tone of Mrs. Potts, and the two began to argue.

Lumiere sighed and looked back at the young woman. "We'll be fine. Your father will take the children in and fix them up if he can and you can..." he trailed off. "Er-What _do_ you plan to do, mademoiselle?"

Belle was surprised. "Well, to keep you safe, of course! That's what's most important right now: is your safety."

"Wha-? Just me?" Lumiere stammered with surprise, which was odd for someone as smooth as he.

Belle smiled a little, and it must be confessed that she was a tiny bit amused by his stuttering. "Yes, you _and_ Cogsworth are my main priority right now, since you might be auctioned off."

This gave Lumiere pause. "Ah yes! But make sure to take care of yourself too!"

Belle just shook her head and smiled, which caused Lumiere to internally groan.

He almost hated how she wouldn't try to protect herself when her freedom was in danger of being taken away. He couldn't save Fifi; he would never forgive himself if he couldn't save Belle.

"I'm telling you; look at the state of the clock!" Maurice, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, yanked off the parchment to reveal the enchanted beings beneath, who all gasped and trembled at the sight of Gaston. Mrs. Potts lid clattered and clicked as she shook. "Look! Does that look like someone a noblewoman or nobleman would want to purchase for themselves?"

Gaston gave him a dumb look. "Old man, they _talk_."

"Sure they do," Maurice agreed, ignoring the quip. "And that's all well and good. Function over form is what I always say. But hear this: if you really want to make a profit, you want them to be in tip-top condition! I mean, look at the clock!" He pointed at Cogsworth, who stiffened.

"What about it?" LeFou asked, walking up to them. He grinned at the clock. "That there's my handiwork. Why would we want to ruin it?"

Maurice's nostrils flared. "Now see here-" he started with a growl, grubbing LeFou by the collar.

Gaston groaned and separated the two men before it could get out of hand. "Alright, old man," he finally caved. "I'll allow you to fix them up." Everyone in the cages sighed with relief. "Except... that one." He pointed to Lumiere, who stiffened and paled.

"Uh-oh," Chip whispered, and huddled close to his siblings.

"He'll come to my work shop," Maurice said firmly. "You want to get rid of him, right?" Before Gaston could answer, he quickly opened up the cage door and took Lumiere by the base. His eyes were apologetic as he closed the door again before any of the enchanted objects could make a break for it.

"Look," he said, holding a trembling Lumiere up in front of the two other men. The innocent villagers who were standing nearby, observing the wagon train, oohed and aahed at the golden finish of the object. "Look at those indents! The scratched paint! Why, even his wicks are missing," Maurice discovered upon further inspection.

Gaston and LeFou glanced at each other. "We're well aware."

"Then let me fix him. And then someone can buy him and he'll be out of your hair forever."

Gaston was conflicted as he locked eyes with the trembling candelabra, which was trying to keep still under the eyes of the villagers.

Maurice, still under the presumption that they needed more convincing, opened up the cage once more and drew out a reluctant Cogsworth, who nearly fainted at the sight of LeFou and Gaston.

"Oh no, no, no," he moaned, covering his eyes. "Not the master's murderers."

"And how about this one?" Maurice asked. "Look! His door is completely shattered! What buffoon did that?"

LeFou rolled his eyes.

"Oh, alright," Gaston sighed. "They can go with you. But I want them in tip-top shape, like you promised, in no less than a week. Understood?"

"Yes!"

"Then go. And do not fail me, old man."

...

 **Author's Note: Next chapter we're meeting the Beast himself! Oh boy... Please leave a review! I respond to each and every one.**


	6. Maurice Seals The Deal

**Author's Note: Hello everyone, and thank you all for the constructive feedback! It's been a great pleasure of mine to entertain you all, and it's always helpful to receive criticism in order to augment my skills as a writer and to make the story better for all readers.**

 **Fun fact: I knew when I first started this story that popularity would be a long shot, since Lumielle isn't exactly a popular pairing in the first place. But it seems that you readers, even if you don't find Lumielle in your best interest, gave this story a chance anyway! Amazing! Each and every one of you are amazing for doing that.**

 **And for those who like Lumielle... Let me just say that I'm doing all this just for you. ;)**

 **A Person Who Likes Comedy: Are you kidding? Nobody makes a great story like Gaston, that's for sure. I know he's not for everybody, but try and give him a chance. :)**

 **Noname: Isn't it at all? I have to admit, I'm pretty psyched too! Can't wait to type the climax of the story...whatever it may be. Remember, I am making this up as I go.**

 **CassandraDayTree: Thank you ever so! You're the sweetest!**

 **Belle: OMG, your school sounds a lot more fun then mine if they're letting you go on field trips. XD I hope you had fun! With that aside, I am so happy that you love it, or WUV it, rather, and I hope you leave some criticism for this chapter while you can. I'm actually trying to figure out the plot and it's going pretty well for someone who's just making the story up as they go along. Thanks ever so for your time, and I hope you enjoy this chapter too.**

 **XxRebelWriterxX** **:** **Fear not, my fine, fine fellow. Although it seems like our favorite ship is merely a dinghy, do not fret, for there are more stories like ours to come. I do plan to write a series of one shots so watch out for that! ;) And for the love of Pete, publish that story of yours so I can read it and love it! I really want to see! Have a great day!**

 **ImagineATale** **: Thanks for stopping by, even if you were a little skeptical of the pairing-which is COMPLETELY understandable, by the way. I know that I've turned down stories myself just because of the pairing, even if the story had a great plot. It's a bad habit, and I'm working on trying to embrace change and other people's interests. If you aren't interested in Lumielle, that's just fine with me, but I do hope that you continue to read, as it IS going to get intense in later chapters. Thank you so much for your review. And don't worry about Philippe. He's quite alright. ;)**

 **Bailey Noelle** **: Co-writing would be amazing, mostly because I've never done it before, haha! Thanks for leaving a review again. It always warms my heart to hear that ding of an upcoming email that tells me that you reviewed. ;) I'm really happy that you like these chapters, because I am working pretty hard on it even though I am just making it up as I go along. XD I hope you can fill me in if you have any other ideas as to where this story could go! That would be super cool, after all!**

 **singertobe** **: Maurice is a sweet person. How he cares for his daughter is amazing, so I figured he'd be just as sympathetic towards the enchanted beings as he would his own family. He is indeed, DA MAN!**

 **R.M. Tepes** **: Thanks for dropping by to leave a review! It really warms my heart to see that a number of people have actually given this story a chance, despite everyone's obvious dislike of the pairing I've chosen to accompany it. Thanks again for leaving a review, and if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or even ideas, leave another one! Bye!**

 **And a quick shout out to Lumielle, who is writing a story of his/her own, so look that up and read along!**

 **So with that said and done, let us commence the story! Chop chop!**

 **...**

Belle had witnessed the wonder of her father, by some marvel, convincing Gaston to permit him to convey the enchanted objects home, even if it was just to mend them before the auction. Nonetheless, though what Maurice had done was foolhardy, considering the power behind Gaston, it was so very brave. But now she couldn't imagine what her future (ugh) husband was planning, now that he had let Lumiere, his target as far as she was concerned, precariously slip through his fingers. It was a rash move on his part, and she supposed she had to thank him for that, because now they had a greater chance of escape. This she assured herself as she led Philippe on, the wagon of cages trailing leisurely behind them as the sun hung overhead. It was wonderful, regardless of what he was planning, that her father had convinced him. So wonderful, that for the longest time, she let her own qualms slip her mind.

"Papa, I'm so- _so_ glad you did this," she happily informed Maurice once they were out of earshot of the villagers, who watched curiously as they strolled past. Something told her that there would be more than just a few rubbernecks, so they had to be careful. "I couldn't imagine what would become of them if they were in the hands of that _snake_."

Maurice chuckled. "Anything for my daughter's friends," He exclaimed with a humble beam. "It's the least I could do, considering they _are_ in pretty bad shape. What on earth happened in that castle?" This question was directed at Cogsworth, who had clasped his metallic hands around the bars of the cage and listened in on the conversation.

"Oh dear, where do I _begin_?" The small grandfather clock dramatically groaned. "Well, besides the obvious challenge of holding the door down-which I admit I missed-considering the circumstances being what they were, I was upstairs-"

"-Preparing your gear," Lumiere, who was currently chatting with a relived Mrs. Potts, chimed in with a boisterous laugh. "You looked positively charming in all that getup, _mon ami,"_ he cackled. Belle hid a smile behind her hand.

Cogsworth stared, unable to tell if his friend was being sarcastic or genuine. "Ahem. Quite," he carefully replied. "Besides holding down the door, the real challenge was-"

"Saving me," the candelabra chimed in again, and Cogsworth tensed abruptly.

"Would you _please_ stop _interrupting_ -...oh!" He clasped his hands together awkwardly. He certainly didn't expect Lumiere to announce that he had had to be rescued. "Well, yes, I suppose I did."

"You did?" Belle asked, impressed.

"Yes. Not an easy feat, might I add," Cogsworth shrugged, trying not to blush with an air of pride. "Not when I was in danger of falling off the banister."

Lumiere chuckled. "How time flew," he quipped, imagining the clock flying through the air.

"The _banister_?" Mrs. Potts exclaimed. The clock realized his mistake in recalling that little detail in front of the teapot and grinned sheepishly. Oops. "Goodness me, what were you _thinking_?" She cried.

"Of saving me, of course!" Lumiere answered. "His dearest friend," he added, wrapping an arm around Cogsworth's tensed shoulders.

"His head was in the game, I'm sure," Maurice chuckled. "Do tell, how DID you save him?"

Cogsworth paused, glanced at Lumiere-who nodded at him to finish-and let a proud smile overtake his face. "Well, while I was upstairs, I caught sight of that dunderhead, LeFou. That is his name, yes?" The others nodded. "He-and I know this is horrific-was trying to melt Lumiere with a torch."

"How barbaric!" Mrs. Potts, who had missed the occurrence, seethed. Belle agreed, wincing accordingly.

"Indeed," Cogsworth agreed, shaking his head. "I knew he was cornered, and something had to be done, so I-"

"-Slid down the banister and stuck a dagger right into ze plump behind of the cretin!" Lumiere finished heroically, grinning at a furious Cogsworth.

"Why you-I'd like to finish my own story, if you don't mind!" The clock seethed, and everyone laughed heartily, forgetting their own predicaments for a little while.

"What about you, Lumiere?" Belle chuckled, and the candelabra smiled at her. What he didn't expect is what she asked next. "Did you rescue any damsels in distress?" She said it in a joking sort of manner, as if comparing HIM to a damsel when he was in distress. Just a quip. Nothing harmful, except this time, it brought back some rather terrible memories indeed.

He sucked in a breath through his gritted teeth as everyone else in the cages tensed accordingly. Oh, why of all questions had it to be that one?! Of course, it wasn't Belle's fault. Her personality was too caring for her to suddenly want to hurt him. She just didn't _know_. She didn't know about Fifi...

Lumiere took it in stride, surprising those who knew about Fifi by swallowing hard and putting on his best toothy smile. "Not quite, mademoiselle," he smoothly replied, "but mark my words: next time I'll be someone's knight in shining armor."

Belle laughed. "That's good, Monsieur. That's very good."

...

LeFou was astounded. After Belle and her father left, he turned to his best friend and hissed, "What the heck, Gaston?!" He waved his arms erratically. "Why'd ya let him take them?! I thought you were gonna let me melt the candlestick and "clean" the clock!"

Gaston glared at and bonked the little man on the head for good measure. "Why do you think?" He snapped. "LeFou, _think_ -and I know it's a dangerous pastime, but bear with me-why would I allow Belle and her father to watch over those objects? Why?"

LeFou paused. "Gosh, I don't know. And it's freaking me out a little..." He admitted, scratching his head stupidly.

Gaston rolled his eyes. "LeFou, the better those objects look, the more profit we get."

"Yeah, but the smith could take care of that just as well!" LeFou pointed out.

Gaston froze. "True..." he admitted.

LeFou folded his arms. "There something you aren't telling me?"

"No!" Gaston almost shouted, causing the little man to jump. "I mean-" he groaned, slapping a hand over his face. "Fine. It's the candlestick. The one you want to melt?"

"Oh! That! Yes, of course..." LeFou looked up to him, nervous. "...Eh, what about it?"

Gaston groaned and yanked the man up by the collar so they were eye-to-eye. "That candlestick," he snarled, "has some infatuation with her."

There was a gasp. "No way! With Belle? That's..." he crinkled his nose. "That's pretty...uh...weird." He shook his head. "That's just...there's no way."

"Yes way. It has to," Gaston insisted, more to himself than anyone at that moment, and then to LeFou, he said, "And as much as I hate to say it, she must have something for that-...that stick of wax, if she agreed to anything when it was in danger!"

"How did you come to that conclusion?"

"Don't question my judgement!"

"Oops. Sorry." And not a moment passed before he asked, "And letting them get together helps...how?"

Here, Gaston had a reason. "If I can catch those two together-doing goodness knows what-I'll have the perfect excuse to get rid of that thing once and for all!"

LeFou was quiet for a moment, before a giant smirk overwhelmed his goofy face. Gaston rose his eyebrows in confusion. "Wow," the little man chortled, "upstaged by a mantelpiece-Oof!" Gaston had thrown him to the ground, causing the wind to be knocked out of him.

"Nobody can upstage Gaston, little man," he growled while his friend gasped for air. "Nobody! Remember that next time you suggest such a ridiculous thing..."

"So are you gonna like...spy on them?" LeFou gasped, clutching his stomach.

"No. That's what YOU'RE going to do," Gaston confirmed, hitching up his belt before walking away, leaving LeFou to pick himself up out of the dirt.

"...Aw, nuts..." he groaned.

...

"And here is my shop!" Maurice announced, unhooking the wagon from Philippe and opening the cage doors. The enchanted objects all paused, as if afraid to step out into the open, before the yearn for freedom overwhelmed everything else and they hopped out, landing easily on the soft, grassy ground.

"Ah, _c'est_ _tellement sympa!_ _"_ Lumiere exclaimed as he landed, stretching out his golden limbs. "I thought I would never breathe fresh air again!"

From afar behind a tree, LeFou quietly hid, peeking out from behind said tree to get a better look.

"Our cage was open to air, Simpleton," Cogsworth muttered, and Lumiere elbowed him accordingly. The children all giggled while Mrs. Potts and Belle shook their heads.

"Now," Maurice muttered as he uncovered the other cages that had been veiled with parchments the whole trip, "there you are." The silverware within the cages jumped for joy, as did the little footman, which panted and barked.

Maurice was happy to open the other cage doors, and the other objects all exited gratefully, stretching out their scrunched and cramped forms. The footman let out a tiny bark of gratitude before bounding off to scare the chickens, causing the silverware to quickly follow suit to make sure things didn't get out of hand. It was quite the sight for Maurice, who, unlike Belle, wasn't quite used to seeing enchanted beings.

" _Goodness me_ ," he thought, astounded. " _How did these amazing creatures come to be? How was this accomplished?"_

"What a lovely home you have!" Mrs. Potts gushed about the cottage, snapping Maurice out of his thoughts as she hopped along the grassy path that led to the wrecked door of the basement.

"O-Oh, thank you!" Maurice beamed bashfully, and Belle did so as well. It was wonderful to see her father get along with her friends so well. "It's a hovel, and it may not be as grand as the castle, but it's nice and cozy."

"That's quite alright-Why, what on earth happened here?" The teapot gasped, hopping towards the basement door that had been smashed to smithereens, and her son, who had hopped up to join her, grinned. "Was this always like that?"

"That was _my_ idea!" Chip crowed, "I mean, my fault," he quickly amended when his mother glared at him. "Sorry," he added.

"How in the world-" she started, before being interrupted by the young woman in blue.

"Oh, please don't be upset with him," Belle pleaded, clasping her hands together. "If it weren't for Chip, we would never have made it to the castle."

"Is that so?" Mrs. Potts asked, surprised, and looked to her son, who arched bashfully, which was his way of modestly shrugging.

"Oh, yes indeed," Maurice chimed in as he helped the doorman off the wagon. "The lad's a hero."

Chip gasped. "A hero? Did you hear that, Mama?"

"How did he-?" Mrs. Potts started, before sighing. "Never mind. I'm sure whatever he did was foolhardy and dangerous and nearly put you two at death's door." There was a small silence, before Maurice shrugged awkwardly and Belle laughed nervously.

"No worries, Madame," she assured the teapot. "Neither of us was in any danger."

Maurice then sighed and stared at the rubble. "Well, guess it's time to clean up!" Everyone winced, including the two humans, when they saw the amount of damages that needed to be cleared out.

Chip just smiled sheepishly. "Sorry," he again apologized.

...

Back at the tavern, Gaston was being practically bombarded with praise-mostly from the village women, which he soaked up vainly. It was often that this happened, ever since he was so loved by the people of his town, and he never missed an opportunity to show off, his strength, preferably.

"Gracious, how'd you manage it, Gaston?" One woman asked, leaning over the counter.

"The Beast must've been huge-how'd you do it?" Another exclaimed.

" _Mon Dui_ , with a club and a dagger?" A man gushed. "Amazing!"

"When will you stuff it, Gaston? When can we see it? Can we now?" They all begged, and Gaston was quite pleased to see that everyone was interested in seeing his greatest kill yet.

"Now now, good people," he crowed proudly. "You'll be able to see the Beast in good time. Right now, let's all have a drink to celebrate the good lads who sacrificed so much in able to help me with my accomplishment. Without them, it wouldn't have been possible."

"To our victory!" A young man shouted, raising his mug.

"To our victory!" Everyone chorused in unison, and took a giant swig of mead.

LeFou, who had just gotten done with stalking Belle and her father and friends, tiptoed through the door and scrambled over to Gaston's famous chair, where Gaston was waiting himself. "Nothing to report," he wheezed, exhausted from his run. "They're all doing exactly what they told you to do."

Gaston smiled arrogantly. "You see, LeFou? What I say goes!"

LeFou was thoughtful. "Hey Gaston?" He asked his friend, who was just finishing off his own mead. "Whatever did the guys do with the body of the Beast?"

"They gave it to the butcher of course!" The muscular man answered, as if it were obvious. "What do you think we're going to eat on our wedding day? Duck? No, I wanted something exquisite, you know?"

"Oh! That sounds pretty interesting," LeFou commented, surprised by the prospect but not at all disturbed. "What do you think it'll taste like? Chicken or beef?"

"We'll make bets," Gaston promised, raising his mug.

LeFou had another question. "Is the whole thing going to be stuffed after ya have the boys skin it?" He asked. "Or are you just gonna have them mount th' head?"

Gaston grinned. Finally. A question he knew he could answer, at least to his best friend. "The whole body shall be stuffed, of course," he replied easily. "That way, when it's standing upright in this tavern, everyone will be able to know the size and scale of the monster, and just how tough it was to kill."

"Oh-ho! That's the way t' go!" The little man laughed, and Gaston laughed along with him.

LeFou was quiet for a moment, before piping, "Didn't you say that it didn't fight back, though?"

Gaston grinned sinisterly and tipped his drink in a toast-like fashion. "That's our little secret, old friend."

After that, they had loads of fun drinking with their friends and relaxing after the long trip. And the end of it, both Gaston and especially LeFou were exhausted, and were in need of a good night's rest. The smaller of the two had many questions for Gaston just like the many villagers that inhabited the tavern. He didn't let it bother him though, until everybody said their goodbyes and headed out for the night.

As they walked down the moonlit path, LeFou finally asked the question that had been nagging at him the whole night. "I had another question..." This time, he was concerned, Gaston noted.

"Go on," the taller of the two allowed with a flippant wave of his hand.

LeFou bit his lip. "Aren't you nervous that those things will escape if they're with Maurice?"

He didn't expect his best friend to answer so smoothly, but he did so with ease. "You're still worried about that?" He laughed, smacking LeFou on the back.

"Oof! Well yeah! I mean-"

"I'm sure Belle will make sure that they stay put," Gaston assured his friend with a smug little grin. "After all, _I_ still have the Beast."

"Well, of course-! I mean, you do-b-but-" LeFou stuttered, but the taller male interrupted him yet again.

"And with you doing your job, it shouldn't be a problem."

...

That night, Belle was still thinking about the aforementioned Beast when her father finally laid out his plans. It had taken quite a while for her and Maurice to clear out his workspace from that wood-chopping contraption, even with the servants' help. But when the sun set behind the mountains and the stars began to come out of their hiding places, they finally finished.

Little did they know, LeFou was hiding outside, listening to their every word.

Later...

"Alright," Maurice cheerfully announced once everyone was settled. He'd laid out several blankets for the children and Mrs. Potts to rest upon, while Cogsworth sat beside him on the workbench and Lumiere stood idly on a random shelf. The silverware and doorman stood politely by the worktable while the footman sniffed about the area, exploring.

"I think I've got it all figured out. Sir?" He gestured towards Cogsworth, who straightened to attention. "I'll start with you, because you've got the most damage. Is that alright with everyone else?"

There was a chorus of "yeses" and "why nots?"

Cogsworth sighed with relief. "Oh, my sincerest thanks, good Sir," he thanked Maurice. "My gears were really ailing me."

"Well, I think all you need is a good dose of lacquer for the dents and scratches, and a new glass door. That I can visit the _forgeron_ for..." Maurice then trailed off, muttering to himself.

While they talked, the children, exhausted from the ordeals they had to go through, began to yawn sleepily. Even Mrs. Potts was beginning to nod off, though she kept herself awake as the responsible adult while her children fell asleep at her side.

Chip hopped up to his mother, snuggling at her porcelain side. "Mama?" He asked with a small yawn.

"Yes my dear?" She answered softly, as to not disturb the rest of her children.

"Are we safe now?"

Mrs. Potts pondered his question for a moment. There was no easy answer, and although the obvious one was to reply with a "no", she wasn't a cruel mother. Sometimes, for the sake of her children, ignorance was bliss. "Right now, yes," she answered with a smile, and her son smiled back with a huge bout of relief.

"Oh, good!" He yawned again, settling down. "I was hoping we were..." he trailed off, the hands of time lulling him to sleep.

Belle watched, smiled a little, tired herself, but her thought process was going dark. She couldn't stop thinking about the Beast, how kind he'd been to her after saving her from the wolves. How gentle he'd been with the birds in the garden filled with snow. How tender. How so very mild. And now, dead and gone, abridged to the state he was in, was so unjust she could hardly bear it. After all, it'd only been a day since his demise, and she was still wretched over the ghastly affair.

She had lost one of her dearest friends...what was she to do now?

" _Mademoiselle_?" Lumiere noticed from where he stood on the shelf, that Belle had been oddly quiet, especially for someone as engaging as her, so he hopped up to her and tugged on her blue dress.

"Are you alright?" He asked, concern evident in his smooth tone.

His voice snapped the young woman out of her thoughts and she nearly jumped, but quickly regaining her composure, she sighed, tucking a loose strand of hair back into place. "I'm just thinking..."

"About?" He asked, and instantly regretted it, as she looked away, depression written all over her face. "Pardon me for being nosy-" he tried to apologize.

"You're not," she cut in, ensuring him that being inquisitive was not the same as being intrusive. After all, he was just concerned for her wellbeing. "I'm sorry I haven't been my most cheerful," She mumbled dejectedly.

"Do not apologize for something that is not your fault," Lumiere scolded her lightly, and would have wagged a finger at her had he hands.

Her lips twitched and she bowed her head. "...A-About the Beast," she admitted. "I was thinking about the Beast."

"Ah..." Lumiere bit his lip and put his arms around his back guiltily. "I apologize," he mumbled. "I didn't mean anything by asking. Just..."

"It's alright," she assured him, gently taking his "hands" in hers, which caused him to blink. "You did nothing wrong. I just...I don't know what to do now, Lumiere." She quieted her voice, as so nobody else could hear. "The Beast is gone, and I want to pay my respects, but how can I with Gaston around? He'll never allow it!" She grimaced, letting go of his "hands". "And I'm just his fiancé! Can you imagine what he'll do when I actually _marry_ him?!"

"Well, considering the controlling, bad-mannered troll that he is, I'd say..." Lumiere trailed off, gritting his teeth sheepishly, gesturing randomly with his golden arms.

"That my luck's run out?" Belle finished for him with a small grin.

Well that didn't help. "No, no!" Lumiere tried to amend. "I meant-"

"It's alright," she interrupted, resting her chin in her palm. "I think...I think you should know that I've accepted my fate as it is, if it means keeping you and the rest alive." She sounded so hopeless...

"No! You mustn't give in! Rebel!" Lumiere told her, holding up a "fist". "You show him that you aren't going to be pushed around! You're a liberated woman!"

Belle allowed herself to grin. "That may be a little difficult, Monsieur. To rebel, I mean, when your lives are on the line."

Lumiere paused at that, and rubbed the back of his wax head blushingly. "Ah. Right. I must admit I forgot about that..."

"Forgot? Something as important as that?" She asked with mock surprise.

Lumiere grinned at her awkwardly and Belle chuckled again.

There was a small silence between the two of them, before the young woman broke it. "I'm so sorry you lost him."

"I?" Lumiere was stunned. That wasn't something he was expecting her to say. "What about you?"

"Me?" Belle was thunderstruck. "Well, he grew up with you, didn't he? Don't you miss him at all?"

"Of course I do," he assured her. "It's just-I thought you two were...very good friends. I'm just-was just a servant to his master."

"But, surely you two were friends...?" She was a little unsure, what with how he used to treat them.

Lumiere paused, considering telling her about the before time. Before, when he and all his friends were human...and decided against it, for now. "I gave him advice when he needed it, whether it was good or bad..." he carefully started. "He looked up to me when he was a child-"

Belle laughed softly, trying to imagine a youthful Beast. "I don't doubt that. What was he like when he was young?"

Lumiere felt a smile spread over his wax face. "Oh, you would have adored him, Mademoiselle. He was a bright child, with a heart of gold. You should have seen the way he played with everyone. I did teach him the best pranks of course," he informed her proudly.

Belle raised a single eyebrow and smiled sweetly. "I see. You must have been quite the trickster."

"Don't tell _mom ami_ , please," he chuckled, now whispering. "He's still onto me for certain pranks."

"Well, what...what happened as he got older?"

Ah. Here was the question that Lumiere despised, but could not blame Belle for asking when she had been on the receiving end of the Beast's anger before.

"His mother passed on," he revealed with a great bout of sadness in his tone. "And his father...his father warped and distorted the poor child until he was just like him. And when the man met his fate, the Master's temperament took a turn for the worst."

"Oh..." Belle covered her mouth. " _Lumiere_..."

"But then _you_..." he paused and looked up to her, beaming through gloomy remembrance. "You _transformed_ him, Mademoiselle. You gave us back the master we used to know, when it was our job to do so."

"So why didn't you?"

Lumiere answered, "Mrs. Potts was more of a motherly figure than anyone else. I...I wasn't much of a role model at all. Just a servant. That's all I ever was after his mother passed on, and now that he's gone...I'm nothing much." He shrugged and held out his "arms". "Just a _candélabra_."

"Untrue," Belle firmly affirmed, crossing her arms. "You are a fantastic maître d'. Do you remember my first night?"

"Of course! How could I have forgotten?"

"Well," Belle skeptically pointed out, "you did say you forgot that your lives were on the line-"

"Irrelevant!" He brushed off. "Go on."

Belle smiled. "I was scared, terrified actually," she admitted. "I had just lost my father, my freedom, my dreams...everything. But you-you and that wonderful song, managed to put a smile on my face. And at that moment, I felt something."

"What was it?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "Happiness? Gratitude? It could have been either of the two or something more."

Lumiere smiled and bowed an elegant bow. "It was my pleasure to serve you, mademoiselle."

Belle laughed a real laugh that time, her eyes brightening up. "It was a pleasure to be served, Monsieur. Besides, isn't it neat to be what you are? I mean, you don't have to worry about eating, and from what I've heard from the others, you never get ill or infected. And isn't it nice to live a long life?"

Lumiere smiled at her and shook his head. If only she knew...

...

Maurice had worked through the night, being extra careful when replacing Cogsworth's gears, applying lacquer to his wood all marked with dents and scratches, and after making a late-night visit to the _forgeron_ , replaced the clock's glass door that opened up to the pendulum. Before long, he was ship-shape.

"And there we go!" Maurice announced with a tired but satisfied yawn, wiping his hands together. "You're as good as new."

Cogsworth, who had been lying on his back the entire time, stood up slowly and carefully, as to not disturb the drying lacquer and settling gears. Once he was situated though, and had looked himself over well, he could have jumped for joy! But no-he needed to politely keep his composure. He was still in charge and needed to keep up a particular image, he assumed.

"Good sir, I cannot thank you enough," he thanked the old man, who laughed loudly.

"It's written all over your face anyway. And please," he said with a smile, fanning the area with his hands to dry the lacquer, "call me Maurice."

"Maurice it is," Cogsworth agreed, and carefully jumped down from the worktable.

...

Mrs. Potts and her children had long fallen asleep before Cogsworth was finished, and Lumiere had kept Belle company throughout the night, keeping up a good conversation the whole time, until they too fell asleep where they sat.

Belle came to realize, through all that, that Lumiere would make a great companion through rough times. It was funny, how she had never really noticed it before; he was actually very intelligent (having received education from the castle of course), could hold up a smart conversation, and was very easy to talk to. If she ever stumbled, he would pick her back up. It was very nice, and although he couldn't replace the Beast, he was a fine "person" to talk to.

And then…Gaston had believed that she had an infatuation with Lumiere… She could only wonder...

...

 **Author's Note: I hope Lumiere gets his wicks back soon! How about you guys?**


	7. Back in Town

**Author's Note: Greetings everyone! I'm back and it seems like I owe someone a special happy birthday. I'm looking at you, bub. And yet...I'm terribly, terribly sorry about the absence of mine that I have yet to make up to all of you. Truth is, senior year of high school has been slowly killing me, and well, I'm almost done with it! Phew! I've also been reading each and every one of your reviews and have been taking them to heart. So as promised, I will respond.**

 **So without further ado, let us commence ze responses!**

 **Lumiworth Trash: Ah, I'm dreadfully sorry that you got into a fight with a Lumielle shipper. That can be tough, and to be quite honest, when it comes to Internet fights: nobody wins. But that aside, I'm glad that you gave the story a chance, regardless of the ship I've chosen said story to center around. Please, keep reading! I really hope you review again and stick with it at least till the end. Thank you again and have a wonderful day!**

 **Cheeky D'Monkey: Aw, stop it! You're making me blush… Yeah, I always try my best to put myself in the minds of my readers and ask questions like, "Is this enough imagery?" "Does this part drag?" "Is this too corny?" And try to incorporate the answers into my writing (as much as I can anyway). I'm so happy that you've enjoyed the story up to this point and I sincerely hope to hear from you again. Best of luck to you, dude!**

 **Mentor: Thank you ever so for the constructive criticism. Lord knows that I need it more than anything at this point, haha! I've taken your advice to heart, and I've made bullet points after bullet points to try and pinpoint a direction as to where this story should go. And guess what? IT WORKED! It actually flipping worked! Man oh man, I've always written my stories as I went along, but this—this was nice for a change. Thank you ever so, once again, and have a fantastic day! I have the finale all planned out! Now, all I have to do is write what comes in between…**

 **Nonimouse: Hi there! Very interesting take on your part, to have Mrs. Potts and Maurice have a little romance on the side. However, it's hard enough trying to bring a ship like Lumielle to life already… But hey! I'm up for a challenge! Maybe I could write a one-shot, just for you.**

 **Belle: I know, and I am so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry about the wait. School has been driving me absolutely bonkers, coupled with work and an internship and a sorta-boyfriend, haha. But I promise that as busy as I have become, I've worked and put my heart and soul into this story. HAVEN'T I SUFFERED ENOUGH?! XD Haha, no worries, bro. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story. I got a sick finale coming up, so stay tuned! (I hope you had fun on your trip)**

 **Guests: Oh, you guys are so sweet…**

 **Singertobe: J-J-Jesus, BURN Gaston to death?! What kind of sick person-? (Looks at own fanfics) …Oh. Well, hypocrisy aside, that sounds like the most fricking awesome way to end a story! I mean, the main villain burning in a pit of flames that Lumiere created JESUS THAT'S BRUTAL! I do have a big finale coming up, so stay tuned.**

 **Nards: Bro, I can't get over your name… It's beautiful. Yes, I believe that Lumiere will get his wicks back. We just have to believe. Believe in ourselves, believe in the story, and believe mostly in ME.**

 **Bailey Noelle: Oh YOU! ^^ You little minx, you! You're so sweet! Thanks for coming back to the story when you can, and I'm so happy that I managed to post it on your birthday. I planned that, obviously. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!**

 **xXChaoticOrderXx: Hey man! Yeah, Gaston really is a piece of utter garbage that shall burn a fiery death if or when he perishes. But hey, thanks for the spell check! I just now realized that I had been spelling that wrong all along. XD Have a fantastic day, dude!**

 **...**

 _ **Chapter Six**_

"Miss Belle, daughter of Maurice," said the Pastor, an old man who looked as animated as a cadaver in the ground. His wizened old hands gesticulated to her, and she couldn't help but look down. She could have gasped but didn't. She was in her beautiful yellow gown, as radiant as the sun in this dark, cloudy atmosphere of mists. What was this?

Ah, of course. This was her wedding day.

Wedding day…

"…"

Wedding day?! Wait-!

"Do you take Gaston, son of Archard, to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Belle's eyes would have widened in shock, her mouth would have opened and shouted, and her arms would have pushed the cold-hearted snake beside her away, but she was rooted to the spot. When her mouth DID open, however, it was only to exert a very eloquent, "I do," which she never thought would leave her lips until today.

 _"_ _No, no, no!"_ Her mind screamed, desperate to articulate the words into proper speech and force them past her lips. _"No, I can't—I shan't! I shall not marry him! I will not marry him! I won't! I won't! I won't! I-!"_

"Oh, Belle," sighed the voice of her adversary, her husband-to-be. Belle couldn't help but lock eyes with him, something that her frozen body actually allowed her to do. He was dressed in his best, puffing his chest out in that arrogant way he had, his sapphire eyes gleaming like a predator's. "You look absolutely ravishing in that," he smirked. "It was rather clever of you to take that from the castle."

"I-I didn't!" Belle choked out, surprised and relieved that she could now speak, but horrified by the prospect. She struggled as he took her hand in his own and kissed it. She let out a cry, bile rising in her throat. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be happening. "Gaston, wha—?"

"And even cleverer of you to suggest that we take the enchanted beings as well!" Gaston gushed. "Now everyone in this fine village can live like kings!" He puffed out his chest in pride, while somewhere in the smoke, Chip was crying.

Belle paled and nearly choked once again. "No," she whispered. "I would never do that…" She could hear them…crying, wailing, screaming, sounding as if they were being tortured, and they probably were! She needed to get to them but her feet were rooted to the ground. She needed to call to them, but her throat wouldn't allow the words to be spoken.

"Oh, but you would!" Gaston snickered, the smirk disappearing and letting something far more sinister take its place. "Of course you would. You want what's best for your family, don't you?"

Belle tried to wretch her hand away, but couldn't. "They ARE my family, Gaston! Besides my father, they were the only ones who treated me like I was an equal, not some lapdog!"

Gaston smiled at her with too many teeth, "You mean the candlestick and the clock and those ridiculous teacups? The Beast? Who, may I need to remind you, is _dead_? They're no family of yours, Belle. Remember that. The only family you'll ever need is the family you've got right here!"

Before she could retort, the Pastor chimed in. "It is time to say your vows," he croaked, looking like death itself.

Gaston smiled arrogantly, smoothed back his raven hair, and spoke loudly and clearly, "I, Gaston, take you, Belle, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; _till death do us part_."

Belle stood stiffly as he spoke, her lips pursed shut, refusing to say a word, refusing to say a word, refusing to say a—!

"I, Belle, take you, Gaston, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; till death do us part," she whispered, sweat trailing down her forehead. Wait…why had she done that? What just happened?!

"You may now kiss the bride."

She was suffocating. She was going to die…

…

Belle awoke with a start, from the sound of something crashing and breaking to pieces. Instantly, her thoughts turned to Chip, Mrs. Potts, her dear friends meeting a harsh demise. Her eyes snapped open and she shot up, realizing that she had fallen asleep against the wall on the floor, Lumiere at her side. Her sudden movements caused him to awaken as well, and to shriek like a bloodless coward before zipping under the workbench in shock.

"What happened?!" Belle cried, looking about her frantically, expecting to see one of the children shattered, but only found a sheepish looking Chip on top of a shelf and a broken vase on the floor. Belle paled. "I-Is that-?"

"Not alive, Mademoiselle, all is well," Cogsworth groaned sleepily, having been jolted awake as well.

"B-But, that vase…oh…has always been there," Belle finished for herself, sighing in relief as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Pardon my outburst," she mumbled, wrapping her arms around her stomach, which was churning most unpleasantly.

That was too close… Too close…

"Are you alright my de-? CHIP! Get down from there at once!" Mrs. Potts shouted at her son, who grinned sheepishly and hopped down from the shelf onto the table. The teapot sighed, rolled her eyes, and looked back at Belle. "My apologies, dear. Are you alright?"

The young woman shook her head, but put on a half-hearted smile. "It's nothing to be concerned over," she insisted. "Just a bad dream."

"What was it about?" Chip asked curiously, hopping down from the table onto the floor.

"Chip," his mother warned, but Belle held out her hand.

"Oh, it's alright Mrs. Potts. I just…I just need some air." Mrs. Potts was unmoved, but she allowed the subject to slide as Belle got to her feet. "Where's Papa?"

"Oh, I believe he was getting himself some breakfast," Cogsworth sniffed pompously. "Offered us some, but as you can see, we aren't the digesting type."

Lumiere, who came out from under the workbench, scoffed at his friend. "Oh, don't mind him, Mademoiselle. He just gets grumpy in the dawn of day."

"HEY!" Cogsworth shouted indignantly, putting his brass hands on his "hips". "I most certainly do not!"

Belle managed a smile. "Understandable," she dismissed, and then an idea came to mind. "Lumiere, remember that tour you and Cogsworth gave me?"

"Ah yes, I do recall!" Lumiere remembered. Oh, he remembered alright. How she deliberately went against he and Cogsworth's orders and traveled into the west wing. How the Master frightened her enough for her to leave. How she came back…and…everyone really thought that once she and the Master got through…the spell would be broken.

"Well, I think it's high time I give you the tour of the village!"

This gave him pause. "Are you sure that's a good idea mademoiselle?" he queried dubiously. "The villagers-"

"Are kind people. They really are," she insisted. "The ones that didn't attack you."

"And the ones that did?" Cogsworth demanded.

Belle said nothing, but a certain part of her deep down wanted to defend the people she'd grown up with, despite their crimes. "They were led under the assumption that you were all under the power of the Beast, and that the Beast himself was...well...you know...a monster."

"I don't know..." Lumiere murmured, rubbing the back of his head.

"I was also going to visit the candle-maker in the plaza," Belle added, "to get you new wicks."

Lumiere brightened, and was out the door before she could blink. "Well, what are we waiting for?" He laughed, and then heartily called out, "Cogsworth!"

His friend jumped upon hearing his name, causing Chip to giggle. "Ahem, yes?"

"Watch over the children. I'm going to get fixed!"

The doorman snorted at Lumiere's choice of words, but the candelabra hardly noticed it. He was too excited as it was to finally regain his fire control back.

Belle shook her head and followed him out the door, where he was waiting, hardly even able to contain himself as he hopped up and down.

"You're sure excited, aren't you?" The young woman asked with amusement.

Lumiere could only beam as he turned to her mid-jump. "Well, how would _you_ feel of you could regain missing fingers?" He pointed out. "Or toes?"

"Alright, true enough," she laughed, something she rarely did these days, thanks to Gaston. "Let's go!" With that said and done, she scooped up the candelabra into her arms and made her way to the dirt path that led into town, pausing just on the outskirts of the area.

"Lumiere—" she started, the enchanted object was way ahead of her.

"Should I pretend to be inert?" He inquired. "Or...?"

This gave Belle pause, but not for long. It'd be better if he stayed still in her hand than scaring villagers by freely hopping about, obviously.

"Yes, I'm sorry, Monsieur, but-" she bit her lip. "I'm not sure how the villagers will react to seeing a talking candelabra. It might be bad, since they can be very superstitious."

"Ah, I figured that as much. Lead the way then!" He froze like a statue and allowed Belle to tenderly grasp his unmoving form.

"Will you be alright?" She asked him, concerned, and he paused his charade for a brief moment to smile.

"You worry too much, mademoiselle."

...

"Belle? Maurice?" Gaston invaded the premises of Maurice's basement, causing the enchanted objects to gasp and group together, and the footman whimpered a dog-like whimper. The children all huddled behind their mother, and Cogsworth froze. LeFou followed close behind his friend, looking quite pleased with himself.

Gaston stood over a shocked Maurice (who had returned from his breakfast), wasted no time, and demanded the whereabouts of Belle, "Where is she?" He scoured around the room and his nostrils flared. Something was missing. Something important. Something detrimental to his future. "And just where is that candlestick, old man?"

Maurice bristled, but then shrugged it off. "I-I'm not certain," he lied, more for his daughter's sake than anything. "He must have gone off to explore. It's very cramped down here, after all."

LeFou snorted, crossing his arms, and Gaston also picked up on the fib. "On its own? Don't lie to me."

"Well, they're not here, as you can see. Why don't you-?" He paused, about to suggest that they stay here for a while, but upon observing a tensed Cogsworth and terrified Chip, he decided against it. Then again, he didn't want the man looking for his little girl.

"Never mind," Gaston dismissed with a careless wave of his hand. "I'll find them myself."

Maurice felt his heart drop. "No!" He cried, "I-I mean, there's no need to be hasty. Why don't you stay awhile?"

Gaston shook his head and smoothed back his raven hair. "Thank you for the offer, but I'll have to decline, because I have to track my fiancé, if you can believe it." He rolled his eyes. "LeFou, watch them."

"Whoa, whoa!" The little man cried. "By myself?"

"Yes," his best friend confirmed, climbing his way out of the basement and back into the open air. "I'll be back with news for you all to hear, so don't get too comfortable."

...

Belle felt memories flood back as she strolled down the dirt path that led to the town, listening to the birds chirp and wind whistle through the emerald leaves. It was just as it had been the last time she had traveled down this path, just like last time...and yet, it would never be the same.

Still, Belle held her head high, pushed away the sick feeling brewing within her, and put on her best smile. "Welcome, Lumiere, to _Conques,"_ she declared, holding him by the base and high so that he could capture the gorgeous view.

Lumiere dared to open his eyes, to drop the act of the inanimate object for just a moment to witness the beauty of this town. Simple as it was, it had a pleasantly comfortable and cozy air about it.

"Belle, it's simply amazing," he whispered.

The woman raised an eyebrow skeptically. "You haven't been out much, haven't you?" She chuckled, and Lumiere shrugged good-naturedly.

"Not recently," he admitted truthfully, and the woman laughed, because it was evident that he had been living in a castle for most of his life. And voyaging was very arduous for the people of an era who only had a horse and wagon to travel by.

"Oh, Fifi would have loved this," he sighed dreamily, "she was quite the sap for beauty, believe it or not."

"Was?" Belle questioned in confusion. "Isn't she with-? Oh…" She covered her mouth upon realizing the truth, and her hate for Gaston couldn't augment any further for what he had done to her friends. "Lumiere…"

"It's alright, Mademoiselle," he sighed.

"Alright?!" Belle stopped right in her tracks, astounded by his words and Lumiere cowered under her glare (which wasn't truly meant for him). "No, of course it isn't alright, Monsieur," she snapped. "Nothing about what happened is alright. Nothing."

"That's why I try not to dwell on it too much!" Lumiere exclaimed. "Fifi…she was…She meant so much to me, and to lose her…" He swallowed hard and rested his arms on Belle's fingers, which were wrapped around his base, "…to lose her was like losing a part of myself."

There was a long silence. "You really loved her, didn't you?" Belle sighed sadly, more a statement than a question.

"More than anything," Lumiere admitted, and smiled a lopsided smile at her. "You can understand, I presume."

Belle caught his gaze, and hers was surprised (much to his own surprise). "What do you mean? Me? In love?"

Lumiere blinked. "But of course! You and the Master! Right…?" He lowered his gaze sheepishly when she gave a start. "Am I wrong?"

"The Beast? I and the-?" She stopped, closing her eyes with a despondent chuckle. "Yes… I suppose I could have learned to love him… After all, he was such a dear friend to me when nobody else would be, and despite his…temper, he was far better to me than Gaston would ever be. Yes," she said again, more confidently this time. "I do think I could have learned to love him, but…"

"It can't be helped now," Lumiere finished with a sigh. "But have no fear, Mademoiselle," he assured Belle upon soaking in her melancholy, "a fine young woman like you should have no trouble finding love. Just you wait; one day you will find a man who will completely fall for you for just the right reasons."

Belle allowed her a smile. "And what reasons would they be, Monsieur?"

Lumiere shook his eyes. "I would count them off my fingers if I had them handy," he joked, waving his wax "hands" around erratically.

Belle laughed, blushing lightly. "You probably wouldn't need very many fingers," she quipped flippantly, but to Lumiere, it was like a blow to the chest.

"Oh-ho!" He raised his eyebrows. "I see! You don't think you're worth it, don't you?"

Belle gave him a look and her blush went crimson. "Remember who's carrying you, Monsieur," she warned, giving him a little shake and Lumiere put on an innocent face of wax, causing her to roll her eyes.

"Let's just go," she griped good-naturedly.

The duo didn't easily blend within the village, even when she had disguised herself with an old frock and headdress and had her friend play the part of an inanimate object. There were glares, scoffs, and even a small bout of name-calling that Belle tried her best to ignore while Lumiere seethed on behalf of his friend. But nothing, nothing came close as to when the entirety of the town came together to sing about the madness of their own citizen.

" _There goes that girl-in truth: there is no question_ ," a man sighed, nudging his spectacles in place to get a better look at said young woman.

" _She's gone quite barmy in the head!"_ A woman sneered, putting her hands on her voluptuous hips.

" _Now don't you pay no mind,"_ the man replied, _"It's not her fault-her kind..."_

 _"There's no denying that she's moonstruck,"_ the rest of the town chorused, and Belle hung her head upon hearing them, blushing heavily with a bout of intense embarrassment, and Lumiere tried hard not to glare at them.

 _"Quite the bout lackluster of luck, admittedly have gone nuts,"_ the town folk all sucked in a breath to prepare for the grand finale.

 _"Mad as a batty hatter, that poor girl!"_

The baker didn't mind putting his own two cents in as Belle trudged past. _"A beauty, but by the Lord, a loony girl."_

 _"A beauty, but a funny girl..."_

 _"She really is a funny giiiiirl!"_ A hefty woman sang out of her window as she hung up her clothes on a line.

"That _Beeeeeeelle_!"

The young woman disguised in an old frock let out a sad smile, and brushed her dark hair behind her ear _. "Well...its wonderful to know that nothing has changed,"_ she sung quietly. _"People aren't as fickle as they come."_

" _...They should not be one to judge, and hold that silly grudge,"_ Lumiere chimed in with a tune of his own. _"It wouldn't hurt-yes it's true-If they only knew the you that I know too."_

Belle smiled at his kind words and for the first time in a while, felt her heart begin to mend in crooked ways. _"Don't fret, Monsieur,"_ she sung back, _"I promise that I won't let them get me down."_

...

Gaston wasted no time. He rushed down the dirt path that led into the town and entered accordingly, but he could not see his fiancé anywhere. He grunted. "Oh, come now. There's only so many places she could be," he muttered under his breath.

...

Belle was a patient girl. She waited until the last of the chorus had died out, and only then she walked out into the open plaza-granted, her head covered by a headdress-, and scanned the area. In her hand, Lumiere sucked in a large breath, taking in the hustle and bustle of the village. "Ah, I haven't been out of the castle since-" Lumiere paused, although Belle did not know why, "-since, since forever!"

"You never left?" She whispered.

"Where would I go?" He asked out of the corner o his mouth, surprised. "Paris? To be a part of a freak show? No, I was very comfortable in the castle. But..."

"You wanted something more?"

"After ten years of being cooped up, of cour-" he slipped, and Belle caught on in an instant.

"Ten years? What happened ten ye-?"

"—S-So tell me about this town, Mademoiselle," Lumiere interrupted with a slight cough, causing her to frown suspiciously. "Is there anyplace special you like to go?"

At that, her frown disappeared. There was only one place in town she could feel at peace besides her father's. "Come to think of it..."

…

"No, you can't leave yet! Gaston will bring her back, he's not gonna hurt her or anything!" LeFou yelled at Maurice, who was trying to shove him out of the way.

…

Minuets later Belle and Lumiere were off and inside the town library. The owner, a wise old man with a twinkle in his eye, was waiting for her.

"Belle!" He greeted happily, holding out his arms. "My oh my, it's great to see you again my dear!" She dove into his embrace, squeezing him tightly.

"Likewise, Monsieur," she returned politely. She was equally happy to see the owner of the store just as much as he was to see her. Gently setting Lumiere down on a nearby shelf, she asked the bookseller if he had gotten anything new, but before he could answer, he caught the gleam of gold.

"Fascinating!" He exclaimed, removing his spectacles to wipe them on his shirt before putting them back on. He then asked the candelabra. "Are there more of you?"

Lumiere couldn't stop himself from biting his lip and sharing a shocked look with Belle, who stiffened and stuttered. "Uh-how-how did you know?"

"Oh, so it's true! They really ARE enchanted!" He was beaming, which took some of the stress off of Belle. "Oh, what am I saying?" The old man chuckled. "I saw everyone come into town in covered wagons." His gaze softened into one of sympathy. "Don't worry dears; your secret is safe with me. But, I heard...a lot of people heard."

"Heard what?" Belle gasped. "About the enchanted-?"

"Oh, no! About the auction," the man revealed, and Belle bit her lip.

"Well…" she trailed, "I suppose they were going to find out eventually. We're now...currently in the process of eradicating that issue."

"We are?" Asked Lumiere, surprised, and Belle stared at him. "I mean, we are!"

"I could always help," the bookkeeper offered. "Buy a few of your little friends...keep them safe in my shop."

"If you could, wonderful, but we're actually looking to stop the auction," Belle reminded him.

The bookseller gave her a long look. "How DO you plan to do that, my child?"

"I don't know..."

"Well...if you ever think of something, and you need some help, just let me know."

"Thank you, Monsieur Meursault."

There was a small silence.

"You know, there's library in the castle," Lumiere jumped in.

"Oh, I can only imagine it's majesty," the bookkeeper laughed dreamily. "To own that many books-I'm sure it's a big library-must be quite the privilege indeed!"

"Big? Big?! Monsieur, if you could see the sheer size and scale-" Lumiere stopped. "Perhaps one day, we could show you. Once this mess is over and out of the way."

"It would be an honor."

...

Belle and Lumiere couldn't stay in one place for too long. They left the library soon after their hearty discussion with the bookkeeper.

"To the candle-maker!" The candelabra announced, only to be shushed by his female friend when a few onlookers stared at her curiously. Belle coughed into her hand and tried to imitate Lumiere's low, smooth voice.

"Ahem. Sorry," she cracked, causing the candelabra to stiffen in an attempt to hold in his laughter. "Cough…can't help it."

One of the onlookers shrugged. "No worries, Miss," and then to his friend, he whispered, "Strange, that girl. Heard she gets it from her father…"

"Thank you!" Belle coughed into her hand, her ears picking up on Lumiere's struggles to keep from bursting out laughing, and she rolled her eyes as she turned away to leave. "You owe me for that one," she griped in amusement as they passed the fountain.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the candelabra snickered.

…

On the other side of the fountain, Gaston stepped onto a nearby pillar sticking from the ground and surveyed the crowd. It was getting busy now that rush hour was in hand, and random women were coming up to him to thank him for his valiant leadership that guaranteed their safety.

…

"This should help," Belle declared confidently as she trekked to the entrance of the candlestick maker's shop. "I don't know this man very well, but from what I've heard, he's quite good at what he does."

"Does he have a gentle temperament?" Asked Lumiere with curiosity, and a loud bang followed by yelling erupted from within the abode.

Belle sucked in a breath through her teeth.

"Let's hope so," the candelabra sighed.

They entered, or Belle entered, rather, by quietly opening the door to the building and poking her head inside.

"Hello-? Oh, hello sir!" She greeted a hefty man with an apron and the beard a Viking would be proud of. He was currently patting at said beard to brush away the last of the sparks that had landed there by mistake. Belle's hazel eyes widened.

"Are you-?"

"Not to worry, Miss Belle," he assured the young woman with a cheerful grin. "Ah'm just fine!" He clasped his hands together. "Now, daughter o' Maurice, what shall Ah do for ye?"

Lumiere stiffened and closed his eyes, playing the inanimate object as Belle passed him over to the grubby fingers of the candlestick maker, who's eyes widened in astonishment.

"What a fine piece ye have 'ere! Solid gold," he marveled, turning the candelabra over in his large callused hands. "And this be from the castle?" He inquired, and Belle found no reason to lie. He was kind enough and had been respectful to her while most of the villagers had not.

"Indeed," she confirmed with a nod and a slight smile.

"Marvelous," he chuckled, and said nothing more about it, to both Belle and Lumiere's relief. "Now what he the issue here? Missing wicks, eh?"

Belle sucked in a breath, wondering if she had to explain exactly how it had happened, but the man merely laughed flippantly. "I'll fix it up in less than ten minuets," he promised. "Do you want to wait outside or would you rather-?"

"I'd love to look around, thank you," Belle told him quickly, glancing around the area and observing the surprisingly large amount of candles around. "Your shop is very...diverting."

"Why, thank you, Miss!"

...

Gaston unceremoniously shoved past a lanky man gathering eggs, searching high and low for his fiancé, but he could not find her in the plaza. "Where on earth could she have gone?" He thought worriedly. "Did she really run away?" No... She couldn't have left her father behind. But she took the candlestick with her...did that mean something?

He rubbed his temples and groaned. All this thinking was really giving him a headache. But no matter. He had to keep looking.

"Think, you handsome devil, _think!"_ He scolded himself aloud; causing the man he crashed into to stare. "Where would Belle like to go? What does she like? ...Books...she likes books. Where do I find books? Um..."

"The bookstore?" The man muttered with a sigh.

"Of course!"

…

"Er, Miss?"

"Yes?" Belle gently set down the candlestick she was holding to face the candlestick maker, who looked beyond freaked out and alarmed. He was holding Lumiere by the base, but as far away as arm's length could take him, and that wasn't too far. Belle's eyes widened. No…He couldn't have found out, couldn't he? Instantly, she felt sick to her stomach.

The man swallowed hard, augmenting her pessimistic assumptions. "Ah don't mean to alarm ye, but…as soon as I put the wicks into their holders…uh…sparks emerged."

Belle stared at him carefully. "Sparks?" She repeated. "Are you certain?"

"Yeah! Colorful ones too!" The man shook his head and carefully handed her the candelabra. "Whew. Better make sure this isn't bewitched, Lassie."

"I'll…definitely take that into consideration, Monsieur," she grinned sheepishly. "Thank you kindly."

They exited the shop, and Belle was careful not to shriek. "Sparks?" She hissed. "SPARKS?"

"Sparks," Lumiere solemnly confirmed, careful not to move, as the villagers were present.

"Mind telling me how that happened?" She hissed, catching the unwanted attention of a few villagers…and her fiancé.

"…A bit."

" _Lumiere_!"

The culprit shrugged warily. "It was out of my control," he defended himself, so flippantly, that he in fact, let something slip. "It must have been the work of the enchantress—" He stopped fast and then whistled nonchalantly.

Belle froze. "Say that again?"

He continued to whistle, and the young woman sighed. "You couldn't look more suspicious, Lumiere."

"Belle! There you are!" The two jumped. Well, Belle did; Lumiere simply groaned.

Oh, speak of the devil.

"I've been looking all over for you—and that," Gaston seethed at the sight of Lumiere, who actually glared right back. "Hm. I see you've gotten new wicks. I wonder HOW?" He barked, looking to Belle, who glared back just as angrily.

"What do you want, Gaston?" She snapped, holding Lumiere behind her back. "Deal with me, but keep him out of it." The candelabra stiffened, gracious that she would protect him even if it weren't her duty to do so.

Gaston was especially dumbfounded. "Do you honestly care about that candlestick so much that you'll—!" He stopped suddenly, abruptly, and got a strange look in his eyes, leaving Belle to wonder what he was going to say as he straightened out and brushed back his hair.

"We need to return to your father's house," he announced. "Come with me. I have important news, and your father is waiting with LeFou."

Lumiere sighed, and patted her hand. "I'll tell you later."

…

 **Author's Note: UUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHH! I JUST WANNA GET TO THE FINALEEEEEEEEEEE! But first! ROMANCE! :D**


	8. Snap, Crackle, Kindle

**Author's Note: Has it been a year? Oh. Um… Can everyone excuse me for a moment?**

" **What follows is an excruciating montage of Emma typing furiously, chugging water bottles, and watching scenes from** _**Beauty and the Beast**_ **while** _**You're the Best**_ **plays in the background."**

 **So. If anyone is wondering why I've been such a lazy dunce who has all but refused to spend time on this story-despite the encouragement perpetuated by so many loyal readers-I…haven't got much to say aside from: life. Life, internships, my first year of college, work, boyfriend, YouTube, portfolio, procrastination, animation, and a severe dip of interest. Don't get me wrong; I** _ **will**_ **finish this story, and I** _ **won't**_ **let it slip through my slippery grasp into the abyss of neglect. For my Interest has returned! Where have you been, man?**

 **Interest: Up your butt.**

 **WITH THAT ASIDE! Whew, what a ride! As promised, I shall respond to each and every one of your reviews. Commence them!**

 **CassandraDayTree: They were close, weren't they? Ooh, I love teasing the readers. Of course, it isn't in my best interest to abandon something for a year. As an avid reader, I downright hate it, and I owe everyone an apology for the wait.**

 **A Person Who Likes Comedy: Hey, Buddy! Glad to have you back in the club of Lumielle. Thanks for the review. And no, I'm afraid that Gaston is not postponing the wedding anytime soon. In fact, he wants it to happen as quickly as possible, and nothing can stand in his way. Right?**

 **FluentFletcher2: Oh my Gosh, you have come back! You've come back from the dead! Cripes almighty, Fluent, I thought you had abandoned me….which is pretty hypocritical to say I thought you had died and gone to Purgatory! I thought-you know what? Never mind. I'm just overjoyed to have you back, dude. Thank you so much for the review.**

 **Belle: Man, oh man, I owe you a serious apology for going on that hiatus of mine. It's something I try to avoid with all my strength, but sometimes, it isn't enough. ...I do think you're right, by the way. Just as Scar would make a very handsome rug, Gaston would make a terrific toilet brush. Kidding aside, I'm very sorry I've kept you waiting for such a long time. It's just ridiculous, and I hope I can make it up to you. Hey...your final review gave me the motivation to do this chapter. Thank you for that. I hope you realize that you're the reason I wrote this.**

 **Cheeky D'Monkey: Hey man! Thanks for dropping by again! I'm ecstatic that you were "blown away" by the chapter, and HOORAY! Lumiere got his wicks back! :D It was inevitable, don't you think?**

 **Noname: I'm excited, are you? And yes it's true, he will tell Belle the truth, as soon as they have some time alone and such.**

 **Emojisteve: Well, if I've converted you into a Lumielle shipper, then I've done my job.**

 **Singertobe: Oh, you bet he will. They just need some alone time, if you know what I mean. *wiggles eyebrows* I know I'm going to have a blast writing that part, whenever it may come, and I certainly can't wait for you to react to it. Fingers crossed and hope you like! ;•) And by the way, thank you for sticking this long. I really appreciate it.**

 **Wyldstyle: Love your name, and thank you! I know it may be hard to swallow, but my parents don't necessarily approve of this website which is completely understandable, but I don't think they understand the power of the fandom and it's strength hold upon those who become acquainted with it. But hopefully, one day they'll find out and...react NOT completely pissed? Maybe... I don't want to get my hopes up.**

 **Child Of Dreams: Yeah, I'm well aware of the typo, haha! Gotta go back and fix that as soon as possible. Anyway, thanks for favoriting and following my story! It really warms my heart to see that, and thank you also for the review!**

 **Bailey Noelle: If I've converted you to Lumielle, then I've done my job. I just hope you haven't died while I was away.**

 **To everyone of my readers, I sincerely apologize for my abandonment. I WILL finish this story. But not only that. I will finish this story and do it in a way that will leave everyone satisfied. Thank you, everyone.**

 **...**

 **Chapter Eight**

...

 _In the woodland of France, Prince Adam was having a spectacular party to celebrate his eleventh birthday. Every servant present had made sure that everything was grandeur, made to be in utmost perfection. They were hoping the party would provide some distracting comfort, for it was not too long ago that the prince had lost his mother and father to the wolves._

 _Adam smiled as his servants wished him_ "Bonne fête!" _and skipped over to the refreshment tables. He plucked a palmier from its platter and took a bite._

"Bonjour _, young prince!" Adam stopped chewing and spared a glance at his_ _maitre d', who bowed in respect._

 _The prince gave a curt nod, but nothing more._

" _I see you're enjoying the refreshments," he went on with a proud smile. "Don't hold back! It's not everyday a young man turns eleven."_

" _Don't think I will," the boy returned with a mouthful of food, and turned to snatch another morsel from the display._

" _Just try and save space for desert," Lumiere advised, missing the flinch of flaring annoyance from his master._

" _I'll eat what I want!" The prince snapped, causing his servant to freeze._

" _...Oh, you can!" Lumiere quickly amended, holding his hands out in front of him in a defensive gesture. "But Chef Bouche has prepared a most beautiful cake; he'd really appreciate-"_

" **I'll eat what I want,"** _repeated the prince with a growl, taking another bite with an air of finality before stomping away._

 _Lumiere blinked, unsurprised. The young master had adopted a rather unflattering attitude as of late, and it was getting to be quite a problem. The little outburst that had just occurred was nothing compared to the harshness that would usually befall he and his fellow servants. Lumiere bit his bottom lip and glanced at the refreshment table before spreading out the wrinkled tablecloth that the prince had disheveled._

 _He could only hope that this was a phase. A temporary wrinkle in time._

 _Prince Adam's stomping lessened as he walked off with a scowl, finishing off the last of his treat before turning to his presents, all laid out before the grand staircase. "That's more like it!" He thought, mood instantly brightening, and he began to count them._

 _There was then a knock at the door, and feeling especially energetic, Adam answered it himself, expecting invited guests that had beaten the weather._

 _Instead, a haggard old woman stood outside. Her decrepit appearance startled the young boy, and he drew back as her wrinkly old hand withdrew from her robes what appeared to be...a rose. Adam swallowed hard as his brows furrowed._

 _"Please," the ghastly-looking old woman croaked, her voice incredibly hoarse, "take this rose, in exchange for shelter from the bitter cold."_

 _The young prince looked her up and down. Her haggard appearance almost frightened him, but he puffed out his chest, determined not to let an old crone scare him. ...Then, he became genuinely confused. There was a village not too far away; a few miles, and it was rude to turn up to a party uninvited. He glanced at her hand. And a rose? He scoffed. Ridiculous. He felt no pity for the old woman, and didn't need her haggard appearance disrupting his setup._

 _"I don't need a rose, scrounger," he sneered, and pointed over her shoulder to the snowy woods and swirling winds. "Go away."_

 _The old crone did not adheer his command, and the young prince quickly became angry. "Please," she said again, her tone unchanging but her eyes glinting. The prince took no notice as she went on. "Do not be deceived by appearances."_

 _Behind the prince, a few servants gathered to observe what was happening. Most of them looked particularly worried. Worried for both the woman and of the young prince._

 _"Master…?" Cogsworth, the head of household, timidly raised his hand to intervene, but one look from the prince shut him up fast, and he hid his hand behind his back._

 _Lumiere, however, stood what little ground he had in the matter. "Master, she hasn't a chance out there alone!" He tried to reason. "There are wolves and bandits, not to mention the storm."_

" _She's a_ beggar _!" The young prince petulantly griped. "I can't have that hobbling around her. Look at her! Repulsive!"_

" _We have guest rooms! She-!" Lumiere wanted to say more, but a simple touch on his shoulder from Fifi deterred him. What could he do? When the prince's mind was made up, it was made up. He sagged._

" _I understand my exterior may be off putting, but beauty lies within," came the quiet croak from the old woman, who rags whipped around her stiff body as the winds tore at them._

 _For a moment, all was quiet, save for the howling winds of winter._

 _The prince flinched and put his hands on each of the doors. Giving the old woman one last disgusted look, he dismissed her again._ " _ **I have spoken. Go away, you wretched old hag."**_

" _..."_

 _Adam slammed the door unforgivingly, sealing the curse that would doom him...and his servants, for good. Said servants behind him felt their hearts drop as the slamming echoed throughout the chambers._

 _For a moment, all was quiet as the prince stomped away, quite perturbed that his party had been interrupted. The rest of the servants snapped out of their horror and quietly got back to business, leaving Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Fifi to discuss what they'd just witnessed._

 _They stared at amongst one another. "This is getting out of hand," the leaner of the two men said quietly, anger rife is his usually calm tone, and Fifi nodded sourly, twirling her feather duster in hand._

" _That child does not know how to behave," she agreed._

 _Cogsworth just sighed. "You're quite right, but-" he snuck a glance over his shoulder to make sure the topic of interest was out of earshot. He turned back to the others. "I don't think we can do much about it, unless one of us wants to take on the challenge of filling a parental role."_

 _They were quiet for a moment, which allowed the creaking sound of the door straining to be heard by all three. They stared at it incredulously._

" _Did you hear something?" Fifi whispered to Lumiere._

 _The door burst, flying off of its hinges and hurling overhead._

 _The trio shreiked and ducked as the door crashed across the ballroom floor, barely missing a group of dancers as they delicately leapt out of the way. It came to a groaning stop at the feet of the shocked prince, whose wide-eyed stare jerked up from the fallen door to the now open doorway._

 _Mrs. Potts scooped up Chip into her arms and backed away, prepared to run if anything but snow came through that doorway._

 _A flicker of unnatural light weakly twinkled in the dark, before a burst of it shone through the foyer._

" _ **What**_ **is** _**that!?"**_

 **...**

Belle didn't see any use of arguing since her friends were in danger, but stubbornness is prominent in those who've been pushed to the brink, so she kept herself physically distant from her…future husband.

Lumiere hopped along beside her once they reached the outskirts of the village and away from the townsfolk who might catch a glimpse of him and start calling out numbers early.

The distance between himself and Belle annoyed Gaston, and he turned to look over his shoulder to watch. The little enchanted object was just as freaky as he expected, and socializing (what little had happened) with the thing had seldom changed his opinion.

He stopped dead in his tracks, allowing Belle and Lumiere to catch up to him. "Have I asked what dark magic was responsible for this?" he queried. They meant to walk (hop) straight past, but he held his broad arm out, disallowing Belle from traveling any further.

"I don't think you have," she mumbled, ducking beneath his arm while keeping a close eye on Lumiere. "But whether or not dark magic was the cause, they were all victims of a curse. It's not their fault."

Gaston puts his hands on his hips, uncharacteristically contemplating. He didn't understand. They were not human. There was nothing to protect. "It's just not right for something like that to exist," he proclaimed, "having ideas and thinking…?!" He shook his head with disapproval and continued on past her.

The candelabra turned to his friend. " _Epouvantable_ , that man," he whispered out of the corner of his mouth, and Belle gave a stiff nod as she walked on.

"Mmhmm," she acceded, more to herself than him.

"And you have to _marry_ the brute?" The candelabra whispered, appalled by the prospect.

Belle said nothing at first, and Lumiere glanced to the side, concerned that he'd pushed a bit too far. However, the young woman eventually lifted her head and answered, albeit reluctantly. "That-That _was_ the deal..." the young woman tensed, hugging her sides. "It was either that, or everyone dies, and there is no way I would let you perish at the hands of-" She stopped, for Gaston had made his way over to her left (Lumiere was on her right) and put his arm around her.

"You see that, Belle? Way out there?" He pointed, and she followed his finger. Lumiere lingered below, gazing off into the direction as well. It was a beautiful meadow.

"See what?"

He was pointing to the beautiful hills in the distance, where she, all those months ago, had found Phillip and began the search for her father. "That's where the boys and I going to build our home. A brand new threshold just for us!"

"How nice," the young woman replied, hoarse and without much enthusiasm.

For a moment, she felt the strong hand on her shoulder wilt. She blinked in surprise when Gaston sighed, and the grip around her shoulder fell away.

"Belle," the hunter sighed, trying to meet her wide eyes, "you could at least try."

Try? _Try?_ To even _suggest-_?

Belle was suddenly enraged. Her eyes widened, her nostrils flared, and she pulled away in a flash. "Try!" She lashed, "To what? Appreciate this? _LOVE you_?!"

Gaston started, and stared at her in surprise, as if she were missing something.

Belle shook her head and let out a slightly hysterical laugh, "That will never, _ever_ happen, Gaston. I was never the actress."

" _C'est pas vrai!_ _!"_ Gaston put a hand over his chest, greatly offended. "I'm not asking you to pretend! I'm telling you try and be genuine. You don't have to be an actress. _Acting_ is hard. _Authenticity_ isn't. "

Lumiere let out an outraged sputter at that, and although he covered his mouth with a free "hand" it must be confessed that Gaston heard. Ignoring Belle's protests, he turned on his heels to make a quick grab for the candelabra, but Lumiere leapt out of the way in time to avoid the large hands. Gaston's handsome face contorted into an angry sneer. "If you want to complain, you can take it up with me, you horrible cre-AUGH!" The hunter ripped his gloved hand away and shook it quickly to quell the flames that had engulfed it.

Belle gaped.

As he tried to hop away to safety, Gaston hurled his smoldering glove at the enchanted object with an angry yell, knocking him off his base. The candelabra felt the wind knock straight out of him as he crashed to the dirt, which he didn't believe was even possible due to his lack of lungs. But that hardly mattered now. What mattered was Gaston's boot ready to crush him.

"DON'T!" That was Belle, and Gaston had the courtesy to adhere the command, his foot inches above his adversary. "Just, please, don't," Belle slowly repeated. Taking a hasty step forward to clutch the fabric of his red sleeve, her tired hazel eyes met his. "This is just between you and me, Gaston. He's a bystander caught in the middle; it's NOT his fault."

The man looked to her skeptically and then maneuvered a glare to a groaning Lumiere, who was just beginning to pick himself up from the ground and attempting to brush the dirt off of his gold exterior.

Gaston...well, he was torn. On one hand, he would love nothing more than to stomp until that annoyance was flattened, posing handsomely as he did so, but on the other end of the spectrum, this thing (as far as he knew) was the best leverage he had in order for Belle to hold her end of the deal. Not that he thought he should even HAVE leverage, as he was quite charming, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

So, with great regret and great anger, he slammed his foot down inches away from where Lumiere now stood, causing the very ground to shake and topple Lumiere to his side once more.

"Oh, I'm uncertain if anything will reconcile, bystander or not." Taking a deep breath, Gaston smiled, rolled his shoulders, and turned back to Belle, who shrank beneath his intense stare. "Maybe...Maybe I've gone about this wrong." He thought for a moment, and then snapped his fingers. "Aha! Motivation!"

"M-Motivation?" Belle wavered.

Gaston just waved flippantly. "I'll explain later," he dismissed. "I have big news to tell your father about and I want you to be there while I tell it."

Belle was still for a moment, her feet seemingly glued to the ground while her mind screamed for her to follow. To her right, Lumiere shakily patted her leg to give her some reassurance, and Belle quickly straightened. "Very well," she mumbled, clasping her hands together as she began to walk once more.

"Don't worry, my dear. Things will look up soon," Gaston assured her. "Our wedding will be fantastic! A new chapter to begin the rest of our lives. A dream come true." He was trying to calm her nerves, but couldn't quell the hint of a threat from, "Make no mistake about that."

...

Back at the house, Maurice was worried sick, pacing to and fro and biting his nails. Every time a minute passed a fresh layer of anxiety would shoot up his spine, because there was nothing he cared for more than his daughter. Nothing. And now that-that brute of a man was about to marry her-! Just-! Sickening!

"Oh, do have a seat, Sir," Cogsworth begged, clasping his little metallic hands together from his spot on the bench. "You've been doing that for nearly half an hour now! You're beginning to stress me out, doing that." He did not, in fact, admit that he was stressed most of the time anyway.

"I know, I know," Maurice croaked weakly. "But-"

"You can't help but worry," Mrs. Potts finished for him, hopping up to his side, causing him to pause his march and look down at her. "You're a good father, Maurice, worrying for your daughter, but I don't think she has much to fear. After all, from what I've seen, Gaston won't harm her."

"It's Lumiere _I'm_ worried about," Cogsworth sighed, "if I may be so frank."

Mrs. Potts (from down below) looked pleasantly surprised at Cogsworth, who rolled his eyes and mumbled something indirectly.

"Oh, no, it's alright," Maurice dismissed, finally adhering to the clock's advice and taking a seat at the workbench, though it must be confessed that he went on fidgeting. His pale wrinkled face was riddled with despair, and the enchanted objects glanced at each other worriedly. This was going on too far. If Belle's absence was enough to do this to her father, then-

"Hey guys!" LeFou's jovil voice from outside filled the room. He'd grown rather cautious of the enchanted objects and had taken refuge outdoors, away from the basement but close enough to keep an eye and ear out. Now he was poking his head in through the hole that was supposed to be a trapdoor but had been broken by Chip a mere couple of days ago. "The boss is back! Everyone up and at 'em!"

Mrs. Potts sucked in a breath and calmly ordered her children to, "Hide under the table, my dears. That's it. Behind the toolbox. You'll all be alright."

The majority of the frightened youngsters obeyed their mother's wishes, hopping to the table and cowering behind said toolbox. During all the fuss, however, one poor child became dazed when his siblings hopped past, leaving him spinning in the dust and overshadowed by Gaston's hulking form as he entered the premises.

" _Bonjour,_ everyone," he greeted, and to his beaming friend, he praised, "LeFou! Fine job keeping an eye on them." LeFou gave a confident but clumsy salute, his tongue peeking out of the corner of his mouth.

The child before Gaston squeaked in terror and scrambled to his mother before the giant boot smashed him to pieces. Belle carefully stepped around, shooting an apologetic gaze to the clutch of tea cups before working her way to Gaston's side. Lumiere scurried past, sending an anxious gaze to Belle and then his fellow servants. At the candelabra's appearance, Cogsworth sighed in relief.

"It wasn't that hard," LeFou dismissed, trying to act nonchalant. "When you're presented a babysitting gig, you gotta take charge."

It would have been wise to keep quiet, but Cogsworth was far too insulted to care. "As far as I recall, you're a mere crony," the clock scorned, causing LeFou take a start and glare fiercely. Cogsworth glared back, but nothing else happened. Belle watched, a bead of sweat trickling down her forehead as her pale hands clasped together.

"Now," Gaston announced, clasping his hands together. "Monsieur D'Arque is the head of the local asylum."

Most of the enchanted objects were confused, but Lumiere just sighed. He'd had a cousin put into the local bedlam for hearing voices that weren't there, but because he hadn't heard from or seen his family in over ten years, he couldn't be sure of any details.

"He's the man who tried imprison my father under false pretenses," Belle quietly revealed.

There was a small silence, and then outrage flooded the room amongst .

"W-What?" Cogsworth was especially appalled as he addressed Gaston. "You were going to commit a man of sound mind? That's simply outrageous! Why in the world would you-?"

Gaston spread out his broad arms, but LeFou beat him to the punch, poorly mimicking his boss's deep tone, " _Somethin' 'bout raving about a beast in a castle-_ ," and earned a slap to the top of the head.

"…B-But he's..."

"An honest loon, but still a loon..." Gaston trailed, and then stood, his large form towering over everything and everyone, including Maurice. "A traumatic experience like that was bound to drive anyone from sanity anyway, don't you think?"

LeFou nodded and grinned when Maurice's face went from angry to fearful. "Oh yeah. Definitely," he agreed, crossing his arms and strolling over to where Cogsworth was standing on the table. He narrowed his eyes at the enchanted object, which put up his little fists.

"Now see here, you dingbat!"

"Ah-ah-ah!" Gaston scolded, getting in between the two. "We're going to be civil. For now." He glanced at Cogsworth and lifted his chin. "Then, again, I guess you can't understand civility, being as what you are."

Cogsworth spluttered. That would have almost been funny if not for the circumstances. "E-Excuse me!" He spluttered indignantly. "As head of household, I am _nothing_ if not civil. It is my forte!"

"Oh-ho!" Gaston flicked Cogsworth's "nose", which caused the clock to grimace and swat at the giant fingers. "Smart-aleck. He's all yours if you want him, LeFou." The clock froze and Mrs. Potts gasped. Belle watched, pained, but said nothing, her lips set in a thin line.

"That's not necessary-!" Maurice began to protest, but Gaston loomed over him, quite intimidatingly.

Belle flinched, every nerve in her body screaming at her to stop him, but her fear for what may happen if she DID kept her still. Even then, she trembled with abhorrence, which went unnoticed by her betrothed and his lackey. "As for you, old man, Monsieur D'Arque isn't happy with your situation."

"Y-You're going to arrest me again?" The poor elder asked faintly.

Gaston rubbed his chiseled chin as the room held its breath. "Even if it comes down to it...no." Maurice blinked, and then a wave of hope and relief washed over his being. LeFou was especially surprised, but for once, he kept his mouth shut and let his boss elucidate.

"I've thought about this," Gaston mused, which caused LeFou's jaw to practically drop to his feet. Yet, it made sense. Gaston had used Belle's father as blackmail to try and get her to marry him, but now that it was already happening, was the help of Monsieur D'Arque necessary?

"Belle loves you," he went on. "You're her father, and she listens to you. She respects you. Besides, it's no secret that you're a smart man, withal loony, but…" he gestured aimlessly. "You serve more purpose in life than to just rot in an asylum."

Ah. So Maurice was useful, rather than worthwhile, to Gaston. He would be a great help convincing Belle to do or say things that she wouldn't for Gaston, as well as serving as a pawn.

Beneath a workbench behind Gaston, Lumiere had been silently glowering, but now, he chuckled angrily, "That's low hanging fruit, even for you."

Gaston closed his eyes, and LeFou urged him to count to ten, not wanting the anger to be taken out on him if it couldn't be taken out on the enchanted objects.

"Wicks...are easy to remove," the hunter warned without turning, pointing a finger for emphasis, but Lumiere emerged from his hiding spot, unfazed this time. This was far too much. The weight of the day was taking its toll, and Lumiere was close. Close to snapping as Gaston continued to make threats. His hope and future, along with everyone else's, had been squandered because of this man. This man, who he was powerless to stop in his state. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't _fair_.

The candelabra smiled, looking as suave as ever, but his smooth tone was nothing short of eerie. It sent a chill down the spine of the young woman in the room. "Monsieur, Monsieur, _Monsieur…_ Must we always resort to violence to solve our problems?"

Gaston blinked, a bout of infuriated annoyance flickering back to life inside him as he refused to look in the candelabra's direction.

Ignoring the frantics whispers of his fellow enchanted objects, Lumiere went on to hop out from his hiding spot to the center of the room. To Belle's alarm, his flames had gone from red-orange to blue sapphire, an indication that his composure was wearing extremely thin. All natural light within the room had been overcome by clouds outside, allowing the blue glow to illuminate off the faces of everyone present. Mrs. Potts gaped at her friend and ushered her children to press against the wall beneath the table. Cogsworth watched with a touch of permanent worry tugging at his clogs regardless of his marvel at Lumiere's bravery.

"You _trespassed_ onto our land, _stole_ us from our home, _murdered_ our friends, and-" he paused for a moment, recounting the most painful memories, "-it's so _unjust_ that you of all people have become the _leader_ of a _civil society_."

Another pause, and Lumiere's eyes narrowed dangerously,

" _But I don't suppose you know much of civility_ ," the candelabra threw back with a growl, remembering Fifi, Madame, Bouche, Pierre, and all of his charm disappeared, revealing the inner suffering of a breaking soul, " _considering_ _ **what you've**_ _**done**_."

LeFou wanted to grab a nearby broom and beat the thing, but he was honestly too scared to try. Gaston clenched his fists and turned his eyes away from the blaze, hunching over the worktable. Maurice shrank back against the wall, eyes shut tight and forehead sweating.

Lumiere was becoming a living inferno, his own pent-up fury nearly melting the wax that made up his physical being.

Belle couldn't see. Couldn't see anything but the enraged sapphire, and it was too much. It was too much. The heat was engulfing. Belle clamped her hands over her ears with a whimper and shook her head and and forth.

" _Stop. Stop. Stop."_ She begged in her head, so of course, nobody heard.

Gaston felt like he was imploding. Lumiere's words-the truth-was killing him. Or, at least it would be if weren't so full of denial. He was the most handsome man in town! Beloved by all! Best hunter around! No one but these cursed abominations felt this hatred towards him. Yes! That's right! Gaston internally nodded.

Right. Right. Right. Lies. It was all lies. Those words spewing from the abomination's "mouth" were falsehoods.

...Still. He hated to be insulted.

" _ **It would be so much easier on everyone,"**_ Lumiere finalized, the blue flames flickering about, " _ **if you ha-"**_

"ENOUGH!" Gaston roared, slamming his giant fist upon the table, causing everything on said table's surface to tip and everyone present to jump.

There was a small silence as Lumiere's flames slowly diminished to an orange hue, not because of Gaston's outburst, but because of Belle, who he'd finally noticed.

 _Ah non_. She...She looked utterly _cowed_ , hunched over the way she was with her eyes screwed shut, clutching her hair and whispering hysterically under her breath. _Non! C-Ce n'était jamais son intention._ He never meant to-! Lumiere swallowed, regret flooding throughout his being as the true consequences of his actions sunk in, but he maintained his stance in the middle of the room and stood tall, even as his flames flickered out.

Gaston was quiet for a long moment, drumming his gloved fingers on the surface of the work table before speaking, and when he did, his tone was nothing short of threatening. "I'm warning everyone and everything, right here, right now," he said quietly. "Any trickery, sabotage, any _funny business_ ," he paused, letting it sink in, "and there will be literal _Hell_ to pay." Underneath the table, the children shivered, and Chip whispered to his mother about Gaston's inappropriate wording.

"As for you." Maurice stiffened at attention. "One more move from you-and that includes disrespect-" the hunter snapped his fingers, "you...won't like what will happen."

Maurice nodded distraughtly and Belle finally straightened to reveal her pale face.

"Belle," Gaston's voice became sweet and pleasant as he turned to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder, albeit strained. "I know all this must be hard for you. I do. But if that ca…" Gaston glanced around the room for a moment and leaned in close to the woman to whisper in her ear. The objects leaned in-Maurice was too stricken-but nobody could pick up on it. Belle's already sickened face blanched, and Gaston pulled away after a moment or two.

"Understand?" He asked kindly, hand on her shoulder.

Belle's fingers shook as she clenched the fabric of her sleeve. "...Yes."

Gaston's face brightened, but a shadow of disbelief still hung heavy over the rest of him. Still, he tried to remain optimistic. "Outstanding. LeFou?" The little man jumped, shaken over what had just happened.

"W-What's up?"

"I want you to follow up with the baker. I think it's time to prepare for the wedding."

LeFou snickered (a bit hastily) without thinking, "Can't be any worse than the last one," earning him a hard smack to the back of the head before he and his boss finally left, leaving behind a cluttered mess of afflicted beings.

Belle let out a huge breath of air she hadn't realized she'd been holding and immediately rushed to her father, who was shaking. Cogsworth hopped from the edge of the table onto the chair and then to the floor. "Is he-?"

"Are you okay?!" Belle cried, cupping his cheeks, which had been drained of all color.

He nodded but his hands were trembling, which did not go unnoticed by his daughter, who clutched his cold digits in her own.

"It's alright, Papa," she whispered into her father's shoulder as the enchanted objects gathered around her. "He won't touch you. I won't let him, and I won't leave you." Maurice didn't respond, but lifted an weary arm to pat her own as she helped him sit back against the wall, and Belle hugged him tight.

Mrs. Potts hopped to the middle of the room to make sure everything was alright before allowing her children to reappear. When they were situated, she rushed over to the candelabra in the center of the room and nudged him roughly. " _Lumiere!"_ she cried under her breath, her glassy eyes wide and rimmed red with shock. "What were you _thinking?_ "

The candelabra stared at his "hands", to Belle, and then back to her with a strange expression on his wax face. For once, he was speechless.

Frustrated with his uncharacteristic lack of response, she went on with clenched teeth, "You could have gotten yourself killed!" She quickly glanced at Belle, who was busy with her father, and motioned for Lumiere to move under the work table.

Once situated, she tried again, a tad calmer, "What did you think that would accomplish?"

"Well, _I_ for one thought that was admirable," Cogsworth chimed in. Mrs. Potts gaped at him, and he blinked. "Oh, come now. What's bravery without brazen?"

"Dangerous," Mrs. Potts hissed. "If either of you were killed, I would-!' She paused, lowering her gaze, and Lumiere finally spoke.

"It won't happen. _Someone_ needs to stop that brute."

" _Someone_!" Mrs. Potts agreed, looking up to reveal the tears streaming down her glass cheeks. "But not you, Lumiere. Nor you, Cogsworth. We need to stay smart and away from that man. There's no telling of what he's capable of."

...

 **Author's Note: Holy. God. WHEN'S THE ROMANCE GONNA START?! Well, with what's happened, it may take time. Luckily, when it comes to romance, two minutes in real life is like 20 years in Disney time.**


	9. Cold Turkey

**Author's Note: OKAY. I've got something REALLY important to ask everyone. The last thing I want is to rush things, but I think the circumstances present a different idea. Tragedy can bring people together rather quickly, as the severity of whatever the situation may be, augments many emotions that (under normal circumstances) would be dormant. And it's Disney. Disney isn't known real well for taking things slow. Heck, Belle was in that castle for like, two days. If not, and she was really in there for that much longer, LeFou's resistance to snow must be** **astounding** **. So if anyone finds it strange with how quick the romance may turn out: it's a fairy tale. There are literally magical talking objects and curses and beasts and enchantresses and a man that can eat a dozen eggs in half a second. An odd romance is the least of everyone's-at least, my own-worries. Yoink. Anywho, I guess I don't actually have a question. I think I needed to just get that out.**

 _Commence The Reviews!_

 **Bailey Noelle: Can you believe that I haven't offed myself? Haha-Christ, that was dark. Joking aside, I have to personally thank you again for sticking with my dismissing-storied behind. I was excited to finally bring out Lumiere's inner turmoil that he'd managed to keep veiled until the break. And please, don't ever apologize for taking a while to review, because that makes ME (someone who puts off a story for months) a total scab. I appreciate all comments, good or bad, late or early, and well-written or lolz. Thanks so much for reading, and I hope this chapter can make up for my lack commitment.**

 **Child of Dreams: The Enchantress? Ugh, not** _ **that**_ **puke-stain. Don't get me wrong; I didn't mind her in the first (good) film, but the live-action remake? Ugh. What a psychopath. Kiss my boot, Enchantress. May you burn in Hell where your rehashed face belongs. "** _ **Let me separate families, erase memories and government, promise**_ _ **death**_ _**to innocent people if some guy doesn't get a girlfriend, and allow another ruthless jerk to gain power. Why give Gaston the 'beast treatment' when I can sit back and watch him torture an old man? Teehee! I'm benign..." -Puke-Stain (2017).**_ **But yeah, thanks for the review. Love you, dude!**

 **A Person Who Likes Comedy: I've crawled back to finish what I've started! With Love! Passion! Emotion! Everything the remake lacks! Yahoo! Thanks for the kind words, ya bozo. I'll make sure to write the best climax ever! You won't be disappointed, by the name of God himself.**

 **CansandraDayTree: I gotcha girl. I gotcha. Just sit tight and don't fight until the bedbugs bite...which they might. That was a bad attempt at a joke. I apologize for that garbage, and I promise I'll never do that again.**

 **Singertobe: I'm so happy you've enjoyed the story so far and have taken the time to tell me. Thank you so much for the warm welcome back, and I hope you enjoy this and the next chapter! Stay awesome, my friend!**

 **BoshandTosh: Your PENPAL mentioned this story? Well I'll be! That's actually pretty awesome... Where is your penpal from? I could always do a shoutout for him/her! And thanks for your kind words. It warms my heart to hear them come from readers like you.**

 **And to all the rest of the readers who don't leave reviews: Sit back, relax, and read! No worries, my friends. Critical feedback is always nice, but if you don't have time, I understand.**

...

 **Chapter Nine: Cold Turkey**

...

 _The door burst open and flew off of its hinges, hurling over the heads of every servant. Behind it, a gust of snow and wind invaded the room, extinguishing all sources of light within to leave it pitch black._

 _The trio ducked as the door crashed across the ballroom floor, barely missing a group of dancers as they delicately leapt out of the way. It came to a groaning stop at the feet of the shocked prince, whose wide-eyed stare jerked up from the fallen door to the now open doorway._

 _Mrs. Potts scooped up Chip into her arms and backed away, prepared to run if anything but snow and wind decided to make an entrance._

 _A flicker of unnatural light weakly twinkled in the dark, illuminating off the shocked faces of everyone present before a burst of it shone through the foyer._

" _ **What is that!?"**_ _Screeched a server, shielding his eyes from the brazen gleam. A few staff members ducked behind the banquet table, only peeking their heads out to see what was going on._

 _The prince braced for an impact, shielding his face with his arms, but nothing struck out at him._

 _As the light gained shape, Lumiere felt an acute chill shoot up his spine. He grabbed Fifi's forearm and turned her away, his own eyes unable to adjust to the light. "_ _Run!"_ He barked _. "Hurry!"_

" _From what? What is it?!" Fifi shrieked as she was yanked through the ballroom doors. Good question. But Lumiere had the sense to leave before finding out._

 _Small yelps echoed around the ballroom as the light finally gained a solid form: a beautiful enchantress. The prince could hardly look; the luster overwhelming enough to blind a commoner._

" _W-What is this? What's going on?" The young man shouted, wavering._

 _A gust of wind blasted forward, slamming said ballroom doors shut behind the escaping duo, nearly knocking them off their feet. Fifi gasped, taking hold of her partner's arm to keep herself from toppling. Just like that, they were separated from the rest of the population._

 _...At first._

" _I-I'm sorry! I beseech you! Please reconsider!"_

 _What followed was nothing short of insane. Cogsworth literally smashed his way through the wooden doors for Lumiere and Fifi, frightening the two out of their skins._

" _Run!" The man screamed, his reddened face panicked, and the two obeyed (for once) without question, deeply troubled by his expression. They could not see what lay beyond the open doors that were filled with light. It was impossible to see even if they were brave or foolish enough to investigate. Whatever it was, it had unseated Cogsworth's usual firm, no-nonsense nature._

" _Where do we go?!" Fifi panted as she and the two men sprinted down a long corridor, putting as much distance between themselves and whatever madness_ _ **that**_ _was._

" _A-Ah-A-Anywhere but he-here!" Cogsworth gasped, already undone by the exercise. He lifted an arm to point and Lumiere followed his lead, taking hold of said arm and tugging him along._

" _The West Wing!?" The tallest of the three exclaimed as they neared the staircase, looking back every so often to determine their safety. "But there's an exit down that way!" A chorus of loud screams echoed throughout the hall, and the brightest light the trio had ever witnessed burst from the start of their sprint._

" _West Wing it is!" Fifi squeaked, scurrying up the stairs with Lumiere in tow. "Hurry, Cogsworth!" she urged, but the shorter man looked utterly winded._

" _Go on!" He demanded, shoving the two up the staircase when they did not move as quickly to his liking. He took a deep breath. "And a-as the majordomo, I shall deal with the problem myself."_

 _That was the last thing they heard before the light engulfed the staircase._

 _Lumiere could feel the heat of it. It felt alive and cruel. He squeezed his eyes shut and covered his face with his arms, but even that couldn't quell the shine from burning his retinas._

 _Somewhere, he heard the muffled sounds of Cogsworth trying to shout and of Fifi begging for mercy until they became one in a low-pitched drone in his ears. He could see white and nothing else. Blinded, he stretched out his arms and tried to grab onto something, but found only air._

 _When had Fifi let go of his hand? His insides...why did they burn?_

 _Weakened by the intensity of the unknown ethereal, Lumiere curled in on himself._

 _When had he fallen? Was he still on the staircase?_

 _He could have sworn that he was, but he could no longer feel the carpet of the staircase against his face, nor the individual steps._

 _Was he dying? Dead? What was happening?_

 _Lumiere lay there, stiff and unmoving until the burning within him grew unbearable. That's when he really began to shake. His hands were searing, much like the time he'd foolishly played with fire as a child. Only this time, it didn't die down. It got worse._

 _The room rumbled and sparks flew from the tip of his fingers._

 _The room rumbled and his legs went numb._

 _A thunderclap reverberated off the light and-_

 _It left. The numbness, burning, and blinding light: all of it disappeared within the blink of an eye._

 _Lumiere lay there, feeling as though he'd gained and lost a thousand pounds. He refused to open his eyes at first, fearing the brute force of the light. When a full minute passed, he dared uncover his eyes._

" _GAAAAAHHH!"_

 _Despite the obvious shock and horror of the scream, Lumiere found his anxiety lessening some. Cogsworth was alive! A tad off-put, probably, but alive. Now to find Fifi. Assured, he tried to pick himself up, shaky from...whatever that had been...and discovered a trifling bind._

 _His hands were gone._

 _Testing the waters, Lumiere tried flexing fingers that weren't there, maneuvering a set of golden bobeches topped with wax and flames flickering about instead. Confusion was soon overcome with the anxiety that had just been quelled. It came back full force, forcing him to physically jolt._

" **Q-Qu'est-ceaunomdetoutcequiestSaint!"** _He spluttered and jerked upwards, upon which he also discovered that his legs were gone. "W-WHAT?!"_

" _Help! I-I can't move!" Came a familiar cry-...Fifi! Lumiere twisted so that he could prop himself up on his new arms and look out from the step he'd been laying on-HE'D SHRUNK?!_

 _Panic ensued._

 _A small clock at the foot of the steps was m-moving...staring up at him with a pair of familiar eyes. It shrieked,_ " _ **What's happened to me?!"**_ _Lumiere could have fainted right then and there on the step._

 _It wouldn't be enough to say that he was distressed. "C-Cogsworth? What's happened us?!" He waved his arms for emphasis, and the clock covered his mouth with his new brass hands._

 _At first, no answer from the clock. He stared down at himself, made a small noise, and wobbled backward._

 _Lumiere scrambled to the edge of the step to try and find a way down. "Are you alright,_ mon ami!?"

" _...A-Am I alright?" Cogsworth shook his head, collapsing to sit on the floor. "In a manner of speaking…_ _ **NO, I AM NOT!"**_ _He leapt from the floor as Lumiere struggled to swing his base over the edge of the step. "How could I be alright? Look at me!"_

" _At you?!" Came the small cry that could only belong to Fifi. "You have arms at least, Monsieur! Both of you!" Both men stared up at...the woman, the feather duster. She was standing upright, a few steps above Lumiere, evidently stuck and frightened to move. "I haven't any arms! -GAAG!" Fifi promptly toppled over, her balance severely obstructed by her new lack of limbs._

" _Fifi!" Lumiere tried to make a dash for her, but tripped over his new base. Cogsworth's little shoulders hunched as she daintily toppled handle over feathers past Lumiere all the way to the base of the stairs._

 _After a small moment of silence, Cogsworth awkwardly moved to help her up._

" _This-This is witch's work! A hex!" he cried, clutching his face with his little "hands". "That old crone must have been an occultist!"_

" _We've been cursed!" Fifi wailed before toppling to her side once more, "Oof!" Lumiere hopped down as best he could to the others._

" _Are you injured?" Lumiere queried as he reached down with his arms, which caused Fifi to freeze._

" _You'll-You're flames! Blow them out!" Came Cogsworth's outraged shout, and Lumiere caught himself just in time, jerking away before his flames caught Fifi's feathers on fire. He quickly blew them and helped her stand._

"Je suis tellement désolé," _he apologized, but Fifi could only shake._

" _That beyond dangerous!" Cogsworth scolded, giving Lumiere a shove. His shock and horror was wearing off, but only slightly. "Don't you even think about using that!"_

 _Lumiere was beside himself. "Wha-?" At a loss for words at last. "How could I?"_

" _Well," Cogsworth went on, outrage overtaking a smidge of fear. "I for one am going to call the guard and organize a hunt for that witch!"_

 _Fifi's eyes widened. "Will the master allow it?"_

 _The clock nodded, glaring at his new form and shuddering. "On the behalf of his servants, he'll have to. We can't be the only accursed ones in this castle!"_

"Attendez _! You saw what happened to him?"_

 _Cogsworth was about to answer, but the scariest thing interrupted him. A roar. A roar equivalent to the blast of a long gunshot. The three jumped and froze in place, staring down the hall into the darkness, where a new bounty of soft cries were now present. Lumiere's flames flickered out on their own as an augmented sense of dread enclosed the space._

" _Master?"_

…

The candelabra stole out of the room once the gravity of what he'd done sunk in. Hasty as always to open his mouth; it seemed he'd sealed his own fate. Not only that, but Belle seemed to have lost a bout of her fighting spirit. He saw it in her eyes when she held her father-what were once bright hazel were now dull, red-rimmed, and sunken in.

She had endured horrible things. The servants all had endured things, but they had lived with the curse for so long that these atrocities couldn't dampen their hope. That young lady shouldn't have suffered for any it. She'd witnessed a genocide of people she'd spent time, laughed, chatted, and argued with in the castle. If Lumiere were bold enough, he'd say they were all becoming quite close, but after his little stunt, how close could he really be to his remaining companions without endangering them all?

He observed his two candle-holders and squinted. His break was unexpected as the sapphire flames that had erupted from his wicks. It was bizarre, and he'd hardly noticed during the tirade. Perhaps his anger had channeled through-

The pounding hooves of a horse interrupted his thoughts, and he leapt out of the way just in time to avoid being flattened by a large wagon. Breathing rapidly, he took cover in a thorny thicket and watched it disappear behind the crest of a nearby hill.

Philippe? Lumiere shook his head. Well, even if it had, what could he do? Sighing miserably, he leaned against the base of the shrub.

What a dangerous world for a small creature, if but the wheels of a wagon could end his existence. How could he, or any of his remaining fellow servants, survive?

Lumiere shut his eyes and trembled for a moment as a rush of cold wind brushed over the meadow and rustled the leaves of all plantlife. The rest of the world; how could anybody understand or accept the idea of a living antique? How could he and the others live on?

The answer was simple: to endure as they had for the last ten years, but that was easier when there was still time to break the curse. Out of that environment could provide something, and it would be easy to pretend to not have a care out here, but he couldn't even bear the thought of trying. It hurt far too much, and to ignore what had happened, he believed, would betray his loved ones.

It was hard to admit to even himself, but a dangerous feeling of contempt for Gaston had acquired his psyche. Not just hatred, but contempt. He now believed that Gaston's life was hardly worth the ones he stole from the Earth, and he ought to be given the same treatment.

Lumiere was beyond the realms of anger. He felt hollow and dead, and wanted nothing more than to _do away_ with Gaston. The urge was expanding until it could not be ignored, and the candelabra began to explore unhealthy schemes.

He _could_ kill Gaston. He _could_ sneak under the hardened glares of whoever followed the orders of the brute and end him swiftly. He _could_ figure out a way, and dash it all with his stature! He _could_ poison the man's drink, melt a blade into his wax and cut his chiseled throat, burn down the structure with the man inside. Something. _Anything_. He _could_!

Gritting his teeth, Lumiere nodded to himself. Revenge could be sweeter than a profiterole.

He could. He could do it. End him. End it all. Liberate everyone under his spell.

"..."

What _would_ everyone think of him? Would they be gracious? Cogsworth _would_ pat him on the back. Appalled? Mrs. Potts _would_ want him to leave his soul untainted. Irresolute? Belle _would_... ...Belle would…

"... _Pouah_. What do I do?!" He muttered, weighing his options. Murder, he knew, was as serious as anything, and the cost needed to be considered, despite Gaston's actions. The last thing he wanted was a one-way ticket to a guillotine...or Hell itself.

He needed to figure this out quickly, before he endangered anyone else.

"Hey, is that you?"

The candelabra's eyes popped open as he yelped and jumped, but his bolt of anxiety relaxed instantly when he realized that it was Belle crouching on the other side of the brambles and not a strange villager...or worse.

" _Oh, mon dieu!_ " Lumiere put a "hand" over his "chest" and sagged. He grinned sheepishly. "You gave me the fright of the century!"

"Did I? Sorry about that," Belle apologized, her smile lessening. "I didn't mean to sneak up on you."

Lumiere blinked, surprised. " _Non_ , of course you didn't!" He assured her, baffled and worried that he had to at all. Moving quickly, he tried climbing his way out of the brambles, grateful when Belle delicately hooked her fingers under his "arms" and lifted him from the bush. " _Merci!"_ He smiled. "I'm flattered, but you did not have to search for me."

That gave Belle pause, and she looked at him for a long moment. Lumiere shifted. "No?" She queried.

"W-Well, I thought your father needed looking after," the candelabra exclaimed.

"Well, _I_ thought you were leaving for good," Belle revealed, gently setting him down. "My father's alright, though. A bit listless, but Mrs. Potts and the doorman are fixing him some tea so he can try to relax. He's alright."

"Are you?" Lumiere asked after being set down.

Belle nodded, a smile returning to her face.

"You're not too…" He gestured toward her, "...overwhelmed?"

Belle's eyes widened. "Oh, I'm nothing if not calm!" She glanced off to the side for a moment. "Y-...Gaston gave everyone quite the scare."

Ah.

The candelabra tried to not let his wax features be overtaken by the guilt he was feeling. He knew it. He knew he'd gone overboard. "I don't expect any forgiveness," he murmured, tilting his head down and pressing his "hands" together. "I was out of line, completely, and I owe you an apology for endangering you and your father."

Belle blinked, surprise overtaking her expression.

"Your situation is meant to be handled with delicacy," Lumiere went on, "and I lashed out at the most inopportune time possible. I never meant to frighten you, or anybody else, and I sincerely apologize for my behavior and any problems I've caused. You deserve any happiness left in the world, and I-" He stopped, and Belle leaned over, curious.

"...-I haven't any right to thieve that from you," he finished, staring out into the meadow, not meeting Belle's eyes, so he nearly missed her understanding smile. "That's why I've come here. Even if temporarily, my absence will do some good."

"Don't be silly," Belle scolded. Lumiere flinched, but somehow, much to his surprise, she wasn't walking off, reprimanding, or even looking angry. Belle leaned on her left arm and shrugged. "On the contrary, you've been a source of happiness since all this began, and even before that."

Lumiere took a start. It was fair to admit that he hadn't expected that. "But, I caused your father's discomfort-"

"I've said it, and I'll say it again. Lumiere," she firmly assured, taking hold of and cradling his "hand" with her own two. His eyes flickered from the comforting connection to her face, surprised and awed. "What you did was nothing short of understandable. Come to think of it, I'm surprised _Cogsworth_ didn't go for any throats."

Lumiere snorted without meaning to, his eyes growing hot. "He would have if he could have, believe me. I just… I don't want to cause any more trouble for you and your family."

"It's not you, Lumiere. It's not. I blamed myself for this, and you told me not to. Now I will say it to you. ...Hey." Using her other hand, Belle slowly rotated his had to look at her. "Do you understand me?"

Lumiere opened his mouth, and whatever he was going to deflect instantly died. "I understand."

The young woman smiled, eyes brightening. "Good. Now let's get back home, okay? The others miss you already!"

" _...Comme vous voulez_ ," Lumiere complied, smiling back at her and leading the way.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Next chapter...man...it'll be the beginning of the end... Please, tell me what you think! All comments: good, bad, hatred, love; it's all welcome!**


	10. Losing and Gaining Hope

**Author's Note:** **This is it, my friends. The big one. It certainly has been a long, arduous journey. Now it's time for the pre-climax you've all been waiting for. I don't think anyone will be disappointed.**

 _ **Commence The Reviews!**_

 **Miss meg 2005: Thank you kindly for your words of encouragement. For you, I will go on! Girl, I refuse to give up. Trust me, I do NOT think you will be disappointed.**

 **BoshAndTosh: Dude, I can hardly blame you. At least you can get much welcomed respite in this new chapter. Yeah, it's hard to imagine a beloved character like Lumiere snuffing the light from Gaston's eyes. It makes me wanna hide.**

 **Bailey Noelle: Thanks so much! I'm so relieved you agree about the whole "tragedy brings us together" I'm going for. I don't think you'll be disappointed at all with where this is going, and I hope you like sitting on the edge of your seat. Just be careful, you may fall off. I love you, Dude! Again, thank you for everything! You've stuck by me from the very beginning.**

 **Child of Dreams: Hey, it's cool that you like Agathe. I personally love Fanboy and Chum Chum, despite that EVERYONE seems to despise them, so I understand completely what it's like. I won't give away anything else. The characters are going to continue the journey with or without the help of the enchantress.**

 **Cheeky The Monkey: Buddy, you ain't seen nothin' yet! Thank you so much, by the way, for the kind words. It's you and all the other readers that inspire me to keep writing.**

 **Singertobe: Dude, don't we all? Personally, I love Gaston (being such a good villain) but I have no qualms with sending him to a painful end. After all, no one makes a good BATB fanfic without our Gaston! Thanks so much for brightening my day.**

 **To EVERY reader,**

 **I hope you all find what you are looking for, and that you enjoy it from start to end. If so or if not, please let me know. A special thanks to my own prince, my light love and light.**

 **Thank you all for everything.**

...

 _Chapter Ten: Losing and Gaining Hope_

 _The chaos in the castle took a long time to quell, and there were several instances of insanity. The young master had become a monster. Literally. Just the appearance to match his monstrous temper._

" _I-I hear there's a footprint." Cogsworth informed Chef Bouche, who was now permanently tied to the kitchen._

" _A what?"_

" _Evidence of her existence," Cogsworth explained. "Trails can be left behind from the presence of magic. I chance that we could harness that magic to change us back!"_

" _I should hope so!" A plate whimpered, too frightened to move from its cupboard._

 _Chef Bouche was not in the best of moods to offer a helpful suggestion. "Well, go on then,_ _ **Hansel**_ _! Follow it!"_

 _Cogsworth cleared his throat. "Ahem. I'm haven't any sorcerer-eyes." he added, and Chef Bouche slammed down the lid of an inanimate (thank Heavens) pot._

"Mon ami!" _Came Lumiere's voice as he hopped into the kitchen (with much stumbling as he hadn't yet grown used to this form). "The Master's barricaded himself in the West Wing! He's tearing the place to shreds!"_

" _Stay clear," the Chef advised with a growl, "until we break this God-forsaken curse."_

" _Wh-? How on earth are we going to find a girl with the standards of a-?" Cogsworth cut himself off immediately. It was unwise to badmouth the prince before, but now it was potential suicide._

 _A heavy crash from upstairs made all three of them flinch. Only time would tell._

" _Well, have you at least garnered control of your flame?" The clock sighed to Lumiere._

 _Lumiere shook his head. "Ah, not quite," he admitted, eyeing his holders warily, which sparked every so often without warning. "I'm not sure how it works, but I imagine it has a bit to do with will."_

" _Well, try and suppress that as much as you can. How is Fifi?" Asked Cogsworth, trying to get the candelabra to look him in the eyes._

" _She's keeping her distance until I get a hold of whatever this—" The holders sparked suddenly, causing the two of them to yelp. "-…is," Lumiere finished, shaken. "It's unsafe for one made of feathers to be around something like me."_

" _Don't qualm, mind," Cogsworth tried to console. "I'm thinking of a way to fix this mess, and—"_

" _You are?" Lumiere gasped. "What? What is it?"_

" _Let me speak!" Cogsworth chided. "In the library, we have many books on enchantments, right?"_

 _What Cogsworth sought to solve never came true. The wisest of the castle dwellers gathered if they physically could after the day of chaos, and together, studied these taboo novels to find a way to reverse the curse at his instruction. Alas, despite the magical figures they now possessed, not a single one could wield magic himself. Chanting, brews, rituals and more, but nothing worked. Days stretched into weeks and weeks stretched into months. The servants began to feel the wear and tear of failure and slowly dissipated from the large group of aspiring warlocks to resume their active duties until only Cogsworth and Lumiere remained at the helm._

 _Cogsworth lived on frustration, and used it to strengthen his resolve. He would NOT give up, and soon he began dabbling in the charms himself._

 _Lumiere stood by his side, as much as it pained him to see Cogsworth working on this alone. However, he refused to try any of it out himself. He believed that nothing good could from this. Naught but evil spirits and curses could be summoned from these texts._

 _Still, he hoped beyond hope that they could harness this evil._

 _No such luck._

Both Lumiere and Belle left Maurice's humble abode distraught but returned solaced. A weight had been lifted with the acceptance of their innocence in this state of affairs, and they would not take blame anymore. Belle was determined to keep her ties intact, and Lumiere was more than willing to support her. He was small, but that didn't mean he was useless. He'd try his best to help mend the situation in any way he was able. That could start with him shifting the mood.

"I have no doubt that your father will soon patch everyone up," he cheerily complimented as they approached the cottage. "He is a talented craftsman."

"Isn't he at all?" Belle agreed. "If it hadn't been for his Wood Chopper—and Chip of course, the little rascal—we wouldn't have escaped at all!"

"Ah, so _that's_ what caved in the door," Lumiere realized, shuddering a bit as he realized what might have happened if they were careless. "I'm relieved you weren't minced."

Belle smiled. "I'm all in one piece, _Monsieur_ ," she assured.

Everyone was relieved to see two return through the gaping hole in the cellar and greeted them kindly. It was natural for Cogsworth to veil his relief with his trademark fiery temper, so nobody was surprised when he tackled Lumiere, causing them both to tumble head over base into a newly repaired table leg.

"Oi! Watch it!" The table complained, and the footman barked.

"Of all the simple-minded, insensible, ludicrous-" Cogsworth raved, shoving a fist in his wax face of his friend, who grinned and laughed quietly. The candelabra paid him no scorn. After all, the relief searing through the anger was evidence enough of Cogsworth's good intentions. Belle followed suit and forced back a sheepish grin at the spectacle.

The clock raved, quaking his little hands in a flurry of what he would usually dismiss as emotional flimflam. "You leave again and I will combust into a thousand splinters! Understand? You leave again and I WILL COMBUST." Lumiere practically went cross-eyed as the clenched fist drew closer and closer to his face with every word.

"Of course! Of course!" He smiled easily, maneuvering the wooden hand away. "You can always count on me, _mon capitan_."

"OH! Can I now?"

Lumiere tried to soothe his friend's frustration. "There was no trouble, _mon ami_."

At this, Cogsworth threw his wooden head back and laughed sardonically. "HA! So you say. There was no trouble down here, thank the Lord, but _YOU_ , Simpleton, could have been killed." Lumiere nodded along with the rant, tensing slightly at the verbal abrasions. It seemed as if his friend both gave him too much and too little standing. He understood the risk quite well, but it appeared his own life was no longer incentive enough to keep him under lockdown. That notion frightened him more than Gaston's threats, no matter how plausible, ever could.

"Well, I _do_ beg your pardon," he apologized, a little less than genuine. Cogsworth paused his tirade to huff, recognizing the farce immediately. Belle adhered the quiet alarms and quickly interceded to stop the small outburst from growing out of control.

"Forgive him, _Monsieur_. He just needed some fresh air," Belle amended, walking beside the quarrelling duo.

Cogsworth's ire lessened somewhat at Belle's sweet assurance and he narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Fresh air," he repeated. "Right." Lumiere took his chance and quietly slinked away to rest against the wall while his friend pondered. "Fine then. But never underestimate the peril beyond these walls."

Belle nodded to ease his doubts, and Cogsworth finally relented.

Maurice beamed then and took a small break to embrace his daughter, careful to mind the teacup in his hand. "I can't believe how quick you are," Belle praised, and then asked, "There was no trouble while I was gone?"

"None," Cogsworth repeated scornfully. "Your simpleton," he addressed Lumiere again, eyes flickering about to catch his sneaky companion, "could have been snatched by a handsy ruffian."

"At ease, Love," Mrs. Potts soothed, hopping over to the two. "You heard her. He just wanted to get some fresh air like the rest of us."

The clock sagged, unable to argue with that. "To think I used to complain about isolation…" He shook his head. "At least we had room. Everyone could move about and have a place to himself back at the castle. No disrespect of course, to you, good Sir, and your hospitality," he addressed Maurice. "We are forever in your debt."

"None taken. A bit cramped, isn't it?" The old man admitted, cradling a forlorn Chip in his hands while the cup's siblings hopped about below his seat. "You're welcome all the same."

Belle agreed.

Polished to shine brighter than he ever had, Chip pouted and carefully moved to peer down over Maurice's clever fingers. "Isn't there _any_ way we can go back, Mama?" Chip asked from his perch. "I miss it. I even miss the cupboard."

"I know you do, Dear, and I as well, but…we cannot return," the teapot gently replied, her porcelain heart breaking at her son's fallen face. Oh, how she wanted to sweep him up in human arms and carry him all the way back. "It's much too dangerous to try and make the journey home as we are, let alone make it past Gaston. We've got to make do with what we've got here and keep out chins up. I'd rather you been safe here than be in constant danger elsewhere." The small teacup wilted at his mother's answer and let out a small whine. His brothers and sisters did the same amongst themselves beneath the workbench.

"But we wanna leave!" The cups all protested in unison.

"Apologies, but it _is_ out of the question," Cogsworth agreed, pacing with his 'hands' behind his back. "If we decide to leave, people will notice our absence and track us post haste! From there, they would despo—" He paused, eyeing the children and Mrs. Pott's steely glare. "—Ahem. Mhm."

"We can beat them up again!" Chip's sister tried, earning herself a stern look from her mother. Cogsworth shook his head.

"What? What if we DID do what we did before?" The coat rack suggested, a spirit kindling in his voice. "Is it so bad an idea that we could fight back?"

Cogsworth rejected this notion without hesitation. "Indeed it is. If we even tried about taking a stance, we'd be outnumbered ten to one. We haven't got our muscle with us now." He didn't say it aloud but everyone over the age of idiot knew what he was speaking of. Madame, Chef Bouche… "We've lost too many," he mumbled. "The consequences aren't worth the risk."

"But, there has to be _some_ way we can fix this," Chip slouched sorrowfully.

Cogsworth sighed. "Face it, my lad. We don't have a chance."

Agitated were the enchanted objects who'd steamed at Cogsworth's hopeless snuffs.

"So what ARE we goin' ter do?" The coat rack snapped impatiently. "Sit in this 'ere cellar 'till the end o' times?"

"How horrid a way to live!" A newly repaired spoon agreed, the rest of the silverware wilting at the idea.

"We could…venture out inta th' wild?" A fork meekly suggested, and the group shuddered. The woods and fields of France were no place for delicate ornaments. Rust, breaks, cracks—too many things would trouble the fineries out there.

"Then it begs the question," the coatrack announced. "What is more important: our safety or our liberty?"

Silence, before the Cogsworth scoffed and looked at the ceiling. "We have a choice? That'll be the day, _Loius_ ," he mumbled under his breath, and the silverware groaned amongst themselves.

Maurice advised, "Let's leave politics out of it."

Belle looked among everyone in the cellar, watching the hope drain away from their beings, and it was more than her weary heart could bear. It was up to her to mend everything, she decided, whether or not her father, or Lumiere, or Mrs. Potts, or Cogsworth, or anybody else approved. She was the only bridge linking Gaston's better nature and Gaston himself, and to do nothing would be as sinister as the cruel acts that'd caused all this mess.

"I could speak to Gaston," Belle announced, a flicker of courage rousing in her heart. Before anyone could object, she explained, "He may not hark to me at first, but I need to try to push him into the right mindset so that we may negotiate."

A heavy bout of tension hung over the cellar, and the enchanted objects glanced to each other with uncertainty. Lumiere frowned, but kept quiet as he inched his way back over to Cogsworth.

"…What would you say?" A chair queried, moving closer with interest.

"Why, that's up to you!" Belle exclaimed, kneeling down to the floor to address the chair. "Tell me exactly what it is you all wish for and I'll do my best to make it come true."

"Breathing room," someone in the back piped up, "would be most appreciated."

"Freedom," another amended, but without much confidence, "if anything!"

A pause.

"Human! We wanna be human again!" one of Chip's sisters exclaimed, hopping along with excitement to Belle's lap. Her big eyes widened and she added a very adorable, hopeful "please" for good measure. The air became so thick with tension that it practically became a tangible weight upon everyone present.

Cogsworth sputtered and coughed awkwardly.

"Human again?" Belle repeated, hazel eyes darting around the small populace, which seemed to shrink before her eyes. " _Human_?"

The cup who spoke out grinned, her eyes shining. "Yep! I wanna wear my dresses again! I want to run and swim and climb! And eat cake! Heaps of it!" The rest of the siblings voiced their agreement.

Flabbergasted, Maurice leapt from his chair, nearly knocking into Mrs. Potts. "You want to—beg your pardon, _Madame_ —to be human again? You were all—? When—?" He gestured randomly until he could formally ask the question. "How...How in God's name did you end up like _this_?"

It was practically instinct at this point to hide the past for fear of lessening the chances of breaking the spell, but now that there was no hope of it ever happening, Cogsworth relaxed. "How about you ask Gaston to put us out of our misery? Musket to the back, anyone?" He sarcastically suggested, and Lumiere glared, sticking a flame to the arm of his friend, who yelped half-heartedly and grabbed at the burned area. "Oh, come off it, you twit," he griped, "I wasn't serious."

"Brazen!" Mrs. Potts scolded her friend, wishing more than ever she could cover her children's ears with hands she didn't have. Some matters were just too heavy for them. "Little pitchers have big ears!"

" _Human again?"_ Belle repeated, her voice taking on a higher pitch and bringing everyone back to the elephant in the room.

"Uh, well, it's a long story," Cogsworth began awkwardly.

"Apparently, we have until the end of time!" Maurice smiled apologetically, eyeing the coat rack who'd spoken earlier.

Mrs. Potts sighed and settled herself. "Dear me. I can't believe that none of us have told you yet."

"It's alright. I know you all meant well…" Belle trailed, thinking back to the conversations she'd had with everyone back at the castle, and now recognized a slip or two. "We'd love to hear it now."

"Story time!" Chirped the teacups.

From there, the enchanted objects told Belle and her father their tale, sometimes interjecting his or her own perspective of what had transpired that fateful night, skipping the loneliest of the ten years together, and eventually ending off to when Belle's father had arrived for the first and last time. Maurice was especially curious as to what had been going on ever since he'd been spared by the Beast…and when he'd been separated from his daughter.

A careful, secretive look amongst the objects silently spread, and they purposely avoided what could have broken the spell altogether. Belle didn't need to feel any more guilty.

"So enchantresses are real," Maurice mused to himself after the tale had been told, "and not a legend." He leaned back in his chair, awestruck. "My parents used to frighten me as a young lad; said us kids would be turned to toads by an ethereal being if we were nasty to the elders." He shuddered. "Scared me half t' death until my later days."

Belle was deep in thought. "Surely," she ventured slowly, "there is a way to break it still."

Mrs. Potts looked away. "No, my dear. I'm afraid—" She stopped suddenly and hopped closer to Belle, who leaned down. "I don't want to give my children—or anyone—false hope. The enchantress was quite clear: once the last petal falls, we're doomed to remain this way forever," she whispered to the young woman, and then at a normal volume to the rest of the room. "Our chance to mend the issue has passed, and now we must focus on the present."

Tilting her head, Belle thought for a moment. The rose _had_ lost all its petals just as Mrs. Potts described. It was all still there at the castle, rotting away, losing the glossy sheen and vibrancy. She slumped. It was like writing a book; once the ink had dried, the story could not be rewritten…

Belle frowned to herself. No. There had to be a way to fix this. This couldn't be the way they'd live for the rest of their lives. The petal's descent couldn't be the final marker. There had to be a chance. A smidge, if any! Perhaps the enchantress might've been kind enough to provide another way. She HAD to have foreseen the risk of failure, and if something HAD been left behind, perhaps the magic within had not disappeared altogether. Perhaps—

"Do you really think you can change Gaston's mind?" Chip asked Belle, jolting her from her thoughts. She nodded. "But…how do you know? He's so mean!" The young lad exclaimed, hopping from Maurice's hand to the edge of the chair to pout. "Why does he have to be so mean?"

"Yeah!" His siblings cried out. "Why can't he be nice?"

Cogsworth couldn't help but roll his eyes. "If only a power-hungry madman could be a little nicer!" He bitterly muttered under his breath, which earned him small nudge to the arm, but he paid no attention.

Belle brushed herself off and stood, brisk but nervous. "I can't answer that, Chip. Sometimes, folks are born with a mean-streak while others are shaped by the hands of evil, but no matter what, Gaston made a choice. If he is truly evil inside, he's still capable of choosing to do right, just as a nice soul is perfectly capable of choosing to do bad." Chip gazed up at her, quieted. "He did horrible things to you all, but now I'm going to try to grant you what you want. Then, when the time is right, you can make a dash for it."

"You're actually leaving?" Cogsworth jumped and ran before the young woman with his little arms outstretched, as if that alone would stop her from taking her leave. "I thought that was just a—a…a suggestion!"

Belle blinked down at him, rather wary. "I can't hide down here forever, _Monsieur_."

"No, of course not. But how can you be certain of your safety?"

Belle wasted no time. "I'll be fine. It's you all that I'm worried—" She stopped suddenly, and turned to the golden candelabra, who'd stood unusually quiet the entirety of the conversation. "Stay put," she ordered firmly, and Lumiere nodded innocently.

Mrs. Potts nodded, raising a porcelain brow at the _maitre de'_. "You'd better, Love."

Maurice said nothing, but Cogsworth planted himself between Lumiere and the opening, staring pointedly at his friend, who held up his candle holders in defense. "Lumiere," he warned, dragging out the name.

"Please," Belle urged him.

"Don't worry, _Mademoiselle_ ," Cogsworth assured and grabbed Lumiere's arm. "I've got a firm grip!" Lumiere grimaced as the metallic hold calculatingly tightened.

Belle nodded her thanks. "I'm begging you to stay put. He promised he'd—" She stopped and shook for an agonizing second, head down and eyes unfocused. Maurice watched with concern and Lumiere felt cold.

"What did he promise?" Whispered a nervous teacup, but Belle left without another word, leaving the cellar opening empty.

The weight of her words left an unsettling air in the cellar and a hundred gruesome possibilities to kindle in the minds of the anxious. Lumiere himself felt colder than he ever had as a candelabra. Cogsworth shook his head. "It couldn't have been good," he growled, "whatever that scoundrel vowed."

Maurice chuckled breathlessly, wiping his face with his shirt sleeve. "Can't say I've ever known anyone quite like him. But she's right. She's safer than—" he eyed the teacups and refrained from making the situation seem any more hopeless. "Gaston won't harm her."

The clock sputtered at the old man's acquiesce and twirled to face him. "And how, Sir, can you be so certain?" He demanded, not meaning to sound pushy, but he was stressed beyond belief, making him wish for the busy days of the castle. "After all, he did trap the both of you in this very room when she was out of his grasp, correct?"

"Indeed. When he thought all he desired was out of his grasp," Maurice told him, leaning back in his chair. "Now that he thinks he's won, things will be different. He was raised under the strict hand of a gentlewoman," he reminisced, "taught from the beginning to respect every lady like he would the Mother Virgin. He honored the gentlewoman like no other at first, and he held to her teachings and an air of chivalry wherever he went."

Cogsworth frowned. "That sounds nothing like him."

The old man shook his head. "He grew up and became unafraid of the gentlewoman. He no longer listened to her and abandoned his studies. He craved something she could not teach, and divulged in rather…unpleasant acts. He's a fine actor when he wants to be, and I've known him since he was a lad.."

"Such as?"

"Oh, nothing that will harm my daughter," Maurice insisted. "I despise the brute, and he will no doubt voice his aggression, but he will not lay a finger on her. Not if he wants to uphold his good image—"

"—And keep her under his claws," the clock scorned. There was a small silence as the objects shuffled and mumbled amongst themselves. "Really, it seems he's becoming more brutish every day."

The old man frowned, tensing a bit in his seat and setting Chip down on the floor. "Well, if she wants to take the chance of bettering your lives, I don't want to stop her. She's grown, after all. I don't have a hold on her anymore."

"Even so—I do apologize—I can't imagine him in any way other than a violent fiend!" Cogsworth burst, throwing his little hands in the air. "Belle needs to come back! That certainty you have of her safety is naught but foolishness!"

"Cogsworth!" Mrs. Potts scolded at the Brit's candor. "Don't say such things. We must remain calm and prepare ourselves for what lies ahead. If Maurice, having lived with Gaston in the same village for years, is confident that he will do Belle no harm, then I stand beside him."

"Yeah, don't be such a pessimist, Henri" the coat rack chided. "We need to hope for _something_."

"But—! Ughh." Cogsworth shook his head but said nothing else to Maurice. Instead, he made to ask for Lumiere's opinion, only to find that the spot he was stood was barren. He'd…lost his grip.

The clock took a start, gasped, and whipped around just in time to see his friend leaving through the cellar opening. The candelabra stopped to look back pointedly at Cogsworth's slowly angering face. "I agree with you, _Monsieur_ ," he explained, and vacated the premise before his old friend could protest.

There was a small silence, and Cogsworth turned to face the surprised company. "NOW he agrees? …I'm going to strangle him if he returns," he whispered, closing his eyes with overwhelming frustration at his friend.

…

Gaston had nearly everything ready. The stupendous band, the gorgeous decorations, the excited guests; all were getting arranged in the plaza. In an hour or two, he'd get changed into his best waistcoat, shirt, breeches, shiny boots which caught the eye of many as he strolled through the works, and don his flesh in scented oils. All he needed for this to go splendidly was the lady of said event. He smiled proudly, imagining a happy future with her.

It was going to be amazing.

"Fantastic job, everyone!" He announced, holding his arms up for quiet. "You've all worked tirelessly to make my dream become a reality and I am more than grateful. Come three o' clock, the wedding will have been a success, and I will reward everyone with _exquisite_ party favors." The crowd cheered, and LeFou clapped by his side.

Belle carefully moved into the crowd, receiving a few cheerful greetings and polite ' _excusez-mois'_ as she bumped her way through. She nodded anxiously in reply, remembering many of these faces as the ones who'd assembled behind Gaston to storm the castle.

An older woman smiled brightly and took Belle's hand in her own. " _Bonjour_ , young lady! I'm so happy to share this special day with you. _Félicitations_!"

Belle managed to smile back to mask her dread. " _Merci_ ," she thanked the other woman, "I'm glad you're excited."

"Everybody is!" The woman replied, heaving a heavy basket of flowers under her left arm. "Your fiancé, most of all."

"Oh—do you know where he is?" Belle asked quickly, looking about.

"He's right over there, givin' his address." The woman jerked her head toward the center of the plaza, where the man himself was attending the villagers.

Belle's stomach lurched. She realized then just how afraid she was. "I…I know _he's_ looking forward to the ceremony…" She managed, and the other woman laughed.

"I understand how taxing this is. Just think about what will happen after: a whole new chapter of your life just waiting to be read," she smiled sympatheticallyy and gave her hand a small squeeze before retreating back into the crowd with a line of children holding baskets toddling after her like ducklings. They all tittered and waved at Belle as they passed, apparently just as eager as their mother. She waved back with a polite smile before making her way to the center.

This was going to be difficult.

She hurried to her fiancé, who'd only just finished his reminder to everyone that the time of event was approaching.

" _Bonjour_ , Gaston. May I speak to you?" Belle asked reverently, placing a gentle hand on his muscled shoulder. The man turned and smiled, delighted to see her outside the cellar. She felt herself start to relax as his mood had tremendously improved since the last time she'd seen him.

"Of course! It's good to have you here," he heartily complied, laying a hand on her shoulder and steering her away from the packed plaza to a less crowded area. Once they were situated outside the bookshop, he crossed his broad arms and gazed at her. "Is something wrong?"

Belle flushed. All she had left to worry about were the fates of her dear companions. She knew what was going to happen to her, and she needed to be strong. "I have a proposition," she began, "concerning my…the magical objects that I think you'll be very happy with."

Gaston instantly tensed at their mention, but kept himself in line. "I apologize for my temper," he muttered, as he WAS embarrassed by his loss of control. "I shouldn't have shouted. It was juvenile, and _you_ didn't deserve it, no matter how much I thought you did."

Belle blinked, surprised.

Gaston went on. "When we're married, I don't want to look at me with fear in your eyes. I never wanted that. So I apologize."

Belle nodded slowly. "You're forgiven," she quietly assured him.

Gaston smiled and tilted his head, waiting.

The young woman sucked in a breath and looked away. "I…I can marry you without struggle if you allow them to return to the castle," she explained, her heart pounding as she recognized the gravity of what she was suggesting. Giving up her freedom like this was beyond dangerous, but she found herself prepared to do it in exchange for the freedom if her friends and family. "You'd be better off without them in town giving me ideas, right?" She added quickly when Gaston's face contorted.

The man rubbed his chiseled chin. "Out of sight, out of mind." Belle sucked in a breath, but wilted when he shook his head. "You don't actually expect me to trust them to just _stay_ there," he eyed her carefully, "or for you to stay away from them."

"H-Hear me," Belle pleaded. She didn't know how to else to respond other than to beg. "Please! I will never indulge them again! You have my word, Gaston."

To her despair, he laughed. "No disrespect, but a lady's word means little, you understand?"

Face burning, she swallowed, desperation breaching any safe of calmness that'd sat solidly in her mind just moments before. This had to work. She needed to change this stubborn brute's mind. "Th-The castle has a large gate," she tried. "Lock it if you must."

"Crafty little creatures like them can squeeze right through." He shook his head. "I've already made my mind up about where they're going, and I know you won't be very happy, but it'll be better in the long run for both of us."

Belle's heart dropped. She knew about his plans to auction them off. "I know you think selling or giving them away is best, b-but—what good is that if they'll still be in town?"

"Ah, but they _won't_ be here. Not for long! The townsfolk are receiving them as gifts and selling them for a higher profit," he told her, firmly taking her hands in his that felt nothing but constricting. "They'll be gone before the end of the month if the British merchants take interest. Then, they'll never plague your mind again."

Belle shook. She'd wanted her friends to have their freedom, not rebranded and separated. Then, she wondered if that was better than staying in a town where Gaston reigned supreme.

"Belle," the man cleared his throat, catching her eye. "I want you to see what everybody has done for us."

"I've seen the decorations; they're beautiful. But—!" She tried to object, but he led her straight into the crowd, which parted like the Red Sea so that they could pass through. She expected to see more embellishments that she would have loved to see at a wedding with someone she loved, but as they approached the town church, she stopped fast. The glossy wooden doors were opened wide as the town's priest, Father John, stepped out and bowed respectfully to Belle. "Congratulations, me dear!"

Inside, the aisles, were polished and decorated with roses of all sorts. The sight of them caused her heart to ache, and once again she wondered if she could figure out a better way to help her friends. She was beginning to calm her nerves until she caught sight of what lay on the floor. Her stomach heaved.

The Beast.

Skinned.

Rugged.

Unblinking.

He was settled right before the alter, where the bride and groom would stand and say their vows. Belle's eye twitched and she stumbled backward. Gaston watched, an unreadable expression on his chiseled face. She would need to stand on the body of her dead friend in order to—

"It was out of the men's skill to have the entire body stuffed," Gaston told her like he was talking about the weather, "but skinning is the next best thing! Not a bad job, eh?"

Covering her mouth, Belle squeezed her eyes shut and turned away. Without saying a word, she wretched herself from her fiancé and blindly stomped off in the opposite direction.

Gaston quickly caught her. "Belle," he bit, holding her wrist, "you can't just run away from this."

"Can't I?" Belle gasped, almost hysterically as her mind flashed the image of the Beast's body over and over. "That's disgusting, Gaston. Disgusting. Disgusting. Disgusting."

"Disgusting," Gaston repeated, frowning as he watched the young woman chant and stumble her way over to a potted plant where she heaved some more. "Come now. Belle, it's a—" He stopped and took a deep breath. He was getting a bit put-out by these outbursts, and he found himself teetering on the fence between two fields of either reacting with aggression and acting with patience. This time, perhaps he'd pushed a bit too far.

"Never mind, then," he dismissed, deciding to have the taxidermy perched in his tavern for the after party. "I'll have it removed. Try to ease your mind before the ceremony starts." He motioned a group of excited ladies over. "It's time to dress! These fine gentlewomen are going to help you."

He strode away then, shouting more orders to his men as the women surrounded Belle to give their congratulations.

Belle shook her head and backed away. "I-It's wrong," she whispered to the women, whose excitement lessened at her sadness. "This is all wrong, ca-can't you see?"

"Oh, don't be frazzled, my poor dear," one of the ladies comforted, and took her hand. "We're going to help to make everything perfect so you don't need to fret about a thing."

The second woman nodded kindly and said, "Quite right. Every bride goes through this."

Belle wanted to cry. How did Gaston manage to sweep the whole town into obliviousness? She'd felt as if her whole world had crashed around her in a curtain of solid blackness and there was literally nothing she could do to let in a light. Surely, there was a way to change their minds, but her heart wasn't in it. Her determination was crumpled, so instead of braving through it, she ducked her head low and disappeared into the crowd before the ladies could protest.

…

Lumiere hopped along the dirt trail until he reached the bridge, the village on the other side. He paused, allowing some distance between himself and a passing covered cart heading to the same area. Its contents were a mystery, but Lumiere could guess their weight, as the horse pulling the load was visibly struggling.

"C'mon, Boy," the driver atop of the cart sighed, shifting the reins as they passed onto the stone bridge. "Almost there."

The horse whinnied, his hooves clopping to a stop as he stubbornly steamed.

The driver groaned aloud. "Oh, for the love of _Pete_."

Lumiere moved slowly to plant himself beneath the cart to hide. He'd follow the course of the cart until it reached town. There, he'd find Belle and watch over her. If something happened, he'd… Lumiere gritted his teeth and muttered a prayer under his breath. He'd do whatever he could to help. He wouldn't fail anyone else. He would never leave someone to die. Not like the first time. Never ever again.

The horseman hopped from his perch and landed on his feet just inches from where the candelabra was hiding and marched right up to the animal. "Are you just gonna stand there? Move it!" He scolded, tugging at the bridle. No movement, and Lumiere silently willed the horse to obey. He needed to get into town and not lose sight of Belle. The man offered a carrot to the steed in hope of cooperation, but the snack was refused with an aggressive snort.

The driver grew angry and threw down his cap. "Fine!" He snapped. "If you can't do your job, I'll just have one of your friends drag you!" He left for a few minutes and returned with a strong mare, connecting their harnesses.

"That'll do it," he grumbled, patting the mare's neck. "We're losing daylight." He settled back into his seat and snapped the reins. "Help Phillipe out, Frou-Frou. Giddyap."

Lumiere winced, but was unsurprised that someone else had taken Maurice's horse out from under his wing. It sounded like Phillipe was very unhappy about his situation as well, if his trudging movements were anything to go by. He wanted to comfort the animal, but couldn't give himself away.

The mare obeyed the driver, gently pulling along the horse behind her until he relented and followed. "Good girl!" Lumiere hopped quickly and carefully beneath the cart in order to keep up with the horse's gait.

They soon crossed the bridge and stepped onto the stone pavement of the village, where the hustle and bustle of wedding preparations was present. A strong, sweet aroma engulfed his senses, and he breathed deeply. Pairs of feet briskly shuffled on both sides of the cart, the pounding of shoes almost masking the chatter of the villagers as they exchanged goods. Lumiere carefully moved to the left side to peer past the spokes of the wheel once the horses stopped.

It was as if the town had been transformed into a garden paradise. Flowers of all sorts decorated the pillars of stand covers, along the sills of windows, and streaming down from the rooftops in beautiful vines, which reminded him strongly of weeping willows. Looking among the populace, he found that everyone was well-dressed and depraved of any muck. Some of the wealthier ladies had applied power, and he was certain that the town's _coiffeurs_ _were having great business. Smiling to himself, he scoured the crowd in search of Belle and eventually caught a glimpse of a blue hem disappearing into the plaza where even more people were congregated._

Aha!

Lumiere almost took off after her there, and reined himself just in time to avoid being stomped on by a hefty man. Breathing sharply, he waited for the right moment to make haste, and then hopped off. Ducking and dodging with ease, he made his way through the crowd and managed to avoid anyone's line of sight. Keeping caution, he hopped into a nearby alley where it was void of hustle and bustle.

"Alright," he muttered aloud from behind a flower pot and scouring the area. "Don't lose track. Don't lose track."

A slight hiccup interrupted his thoughts and he whirled around to find himself inches away from a little boy, about four or five, huddled and in the process of the eating fistfuls of calissons. The child was staring him dead in the eye, midchew and eyes wide.

Keeping calm, Lumiere forced a smile onto his wax face. " _Bonjour, juene garcon!"_ He greeted cheerfully, and the young boy gasped.

"Can you help me?" Lumiere asked. "I'm lost."

"Hi Lost. I'm Ancil," the little boy replied. He slowly crept another pastry into his mouth and nodded, eyes growing ever wider but thankfully staying quiet. It was a miracle, Lumiere thought, that he hadn't run away screaming. Then again, the child looked young enough to find fairy tales real and commonplace. Perhaps the little boy was deciding that this magical being before him was a natural creature. After all, the adults hadn't made a fuss.

" _Merci_!" Lumiere thanked him, holding out his left candle-holder. The little boy stared at it for a moment before taking it tentatively in his little hand. "I'm trying to find a young lady wearing a blue dress. If you could carry me through the crowd, I'd very much appreciate it."

The little boy agreed and shoved the last of the calissons in his mouth. "Ahll chake shyou t' 'er."

Lumiere breathed a sigh of relief and froze himself into his default position, looking as inconspicuous as possible. The little boy clumsily got to his feet and picked the candelabra up. "Now, make sure that nobody knows I can talk," Lumiere advised out of the corner of his mouth. "This is a secret mission!"

The little boy grinned excitedly at the word 'secret'. "Can I pretend to be an _espion_?" He asked.

"Certainly! Be quick!"

Determined and in character, the little boy moved to the edge of the alley and peaked out. He held Lumiere with both hands against his chest. "Where do I go?" He whispered, though the loud clamoring of the other villagers would have drowned out his normal voice. Lumiere scanned the area and quickly gestured to the plaza where he'd seen Belle slip away into.

Ancil remembered to be quick, alright. Without a word, he dashed through the crowd, avoiding confectioneries, dodging carts, and weaved around the much larger adults. They arrived at the center in no time, but Belle was nowhere to be seen.

"Now where?" The little boy asked, ducking behind a barrel of ale. Lumiere bit his wax lip and looked about the scene.

"She—I saw her—" Lumiere paused, and froze. Gaston had just walked by, his earth-shaking stomps jolting the candelabra from his default position. By the grace of God, he was left unseen. Unfortunately, little Ancil was most intrigued.

"Look!" He cried excitedly, pointing eagerly at the passing hunter. "Gason! Gason!"

Lumiere shushed him frantically, but it was too late.

Gaston stopped dead in his tracks and turned with a smile, looking for the child who'd tried calling out his name. He heard a disgruntled splash and zeroed in on the table of confectionaries. Grasping either side of his belt, he strolled over and peered over the edge of said table to find a little boy, looking bashfully eager.

"Hello, little Ancil," Gaston greeted, extending his hand out to shake the young boy's hand. Ancil squealed happily as he was hoisted up at a remarkable speed to perch on the man's muscular shoulder. "Are you getting into the ale?

"Hi!" Ancil chirped, feeling taller than he'd ever pretended.

"What are you doing all the way over here?" Gaston asked the little boy. "Let's find your grandfather." He walked off, leaving the table and the barrel of ale. "Is he in the bookstore…?" As soon as the hunter's voice grew faint, Lumiere burst from the ale with a great gasp and hoisted himself over the edge to topple onto the dirt.

"PWAH! Th-That was a foolish idea!" He chastised himself, daring not to light his flames anytime soon. He'd have to drop by the river now to clean off the shiny liquid layer of _bière de garde_ from his surface.

Shaking his head, he had no time to react when another hand snatched him up. Panicked, he almost lit his flames, but stopped when he realized who was holding him.

 _Belle_. Glaring and fuming, but unhurt.

Lumiere let out a huge sigh of relief and tried to calm his nerves. "Oh, _merci les Saints_ , it's only you!" He breathed, smiling sheepishly when she did not smile back.

Belle did not reply until she stole out of town and made her way to the bridge. When she arrived, she dunked him in the river. Lumiere sputtered and spit, but decided to be grateful that the ale was now washed off. When he stood, it was all he could do to keep from hiding. She looked livid.

"Why didn't you listen?" She hissed, clenching her fists. "I specifically told you to stay put and you completely ignored me! Hasn't Gaston made it clear? He will _kill_ you if he has the chance!"

Lumiere opened his mouth to speak, surprised at her temper, but Belle cut him off.

"Had he found you instead of I, you wouldn't be here," she growled. "You'd be dead, or at the very VERY least, in the hands of some foreign merchant!"

The candelabra wasn't quite sure what to say. Sure, he had disobeyed her wishes, but something about her reaction seemed off. "Has something…happened?"

Belle's nostrils flared. "His body was lying on the floor of the church."

"Who's-?

"The Beast's!" She hissed, rubbing her eyes, and Lumiere jolted. "Skinned and rugged, right there at the foot of the alter. You'd think he were still alive the way his face was relaxed and unspoiled. I could see his eyes—his glass eyes were wide open and he was looking right through me and I couldn't—!" She took a quick breath. "I don't know how in God's name I'm going to do this, Lumiere! I need to be strong for myself and for all of you, but I keep finding myself—" She stopped fast. Lumiere looked stricken with grief.

"Lumiere," she started, her temper lessening.

He shook his head in disbelief, his eyes wide and shaking. "They…skinned the master's body?"

Belle's heart dropped to her stomach. Lumiere covered his mouth and stumbled backward, nearly falling back into the stream.

"What more—?" He gasped, visibly shaking, and Belle felt a stab of guilt. "What more could they possibly do—to—to—?" He couldn't even finished, and the young woman was alarmed to find tears pooling up in his eyes.

She should have delivered the news with diplomacy. Or not told him at all. After all, Lumiere had known the Beast since the day he was born. To learn that the body of a lifelong companion had been vandalized and corrupted must have been beyond abhorrent, and now Belle regretted ever telling the poor candelabra the fate of the Beast's remains.

Lumiere choked back a sob, trying with all his might to hold them back. "I—I can't believe y-you saw that!" He whispered hoarsely. "I'm so sorry, Mademoiselle."

Belle practically fell over. " _You're_ sorry? You're _sorry_ -?" She shut her mouth and gathered him in her arms without another word. For a while, they remained like that, and Lumiere managed to get himself under control rather quickly.

When the moment of grief had passed, Belle moved a hand to the side of his wax face. "You have nothing to be sorry for," she whispered, smiling brokenly. "You didn't ask for this. You didn't ask for anything. In fact, you did everything a good person would do."

"I-I meant for…" Lumiere trailed off, glancing at the bridge.

There was a pause, and Belle took a deep breath. "Why _wouldn't_ you honor my wishes?" She asked. "You knew I would to talk to Gaston and that he would have to be in the best mood to listen. "Why risk it?"

Lumiere was astounded. _"He_ will never change his mind about us. I've only known him for so long, but I know a stubborn brute when I see one." Lumiere pulled back off of her lap. " _Mademoiselle_ , whether or not you reside in the castle, I will continue to serve you. I will try everything to make sure you're safe."

Belle got to her feet and bit her lower lip. She knew he was right. Despite his absence, Gaston hadn't moved an inch on the matter. Regardless... "He will _kill you_ when he has the chance," she murmured, gazing into his eyes, "so do NOT give him that chance. Please—" She took a shuddering breath and rubbed a palm against her forehead.

"We lost so much already—we can't lose you too!" She drew in another sharp breath and rubbed her eyes, and it was then that Lumiere realized she'd been holding back tears herself.

The candelabra hopped closer, ready to deliver a resounding close. "You—" He stopped, looked away, and shook his head. "You can't blame me and I can't blame you. Not for his choices. You CAN blame me for leaving when I wasn't supposed to," he admitted. "But I needed to make sure you'd be safe."

" _I'll_ be just fine!" She cried and drew away. " _I_ will never succumb to him. _I_ will never break. _I_ am human! But you, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, the Beast—!" She slammed her mouth shut and turned on her heels, staring pointedly at the ground. The Beast's lifeless body was burning a grotesque image in her brain, and her stomach churned. They were all so vulnerable as they were, and she'd begun to wish she'd never let her father travel alone. What would her absence have changed, other than the promise that Gaston never would have mobbed the place?

"We…We're not as helpless as we seem, _Mademoiselle_ ," Lumiere breathed, still surprised by her outburst. Belle turned around and he went still. "We are not," he repeated, though not as strong as before, mostly because of her plucking him up from the ground. "We can navigate on our own," he pointedly insisted as she walked along the bridge, "we can craft, we can plan, we can hide, we can fight—perhaps not as effectively, but regardless—and we can…we can help you if we want to."

Belle slowed to a stop and her glare softened. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she tried one last time. "I know you have naught but the best intentions," she spoke slowly, "but I don't…" She trailed, at a loss of what to say to steer the candelabra in the direction she wanted.

"Please accept me," Lumiere begged, laying a candleholder on her wrist, "not as a tiresome liability, but as someone who just wants to see you safe and content. If you'll have me as that, I will give my word not to throw myself in the face of danger at every given turn."

Belle smiled brokenly, and conceded. Lumiere was right. She could not stop him, nor any other member of their company from trying to help her, lest she restrict their freedom ever more. They were loyal to a fault, and so invested in providing service to her, not because of their jobs, but because they cared. She couldn't push them away any longer. Still…

"You drive a hard bargain," she groaned good-naturedly, and Lumiere smiled proudly in spite of himself.

"Alright then. You," she paused a moment, and gave him the smallest of smiles, "you have my word."

"It's an _affaire_!" He proclaimed, and held out his holder for her to shake. She wrapped her large hand around it and sealed the deal.

That was when the moment was interrupted by a familiar face. Phillipe approached, snorting softly.

"Phillipe!" Belle exclaimed, grasping the horses muzzle with her free hand. "Where have you been?"

Behind the horse, the gaggle of ladies who were assigned to dress Belle sprinted over to her, their skirts billowing out behind them as they paused to catch their breath. It was rather comical, and Belle would have giggled if not for the gloom in the air.

"Oh!" Belle exclaimed, heart thudding in her chest. " _Bonjour_ again!"

" _Ma—"_ The woman panted, hunched over, and Belle felt a bit sorry for them. _"M-Mademoiselle_ , forgive us for…for pressing, but we need to help you dress. The wedding is only in a few hours!"

Belle froze. "I-I…" She trailed, hid Lumiere behind her back, and then straightened as an idea struck her. "I am going back to the castle."

The group of women blanched and one of the ladies gasped. "The castle? My dear, it is not safe! It's cursed, a-and far! You don't have enough time!"

"It won't be long," Belle promised, unhitching her horse from the heavy cart. "Gaston fancied an heirloom in the hall that I'm going to fetch for him. At least then I won't have to worry about a wedding gift."

"An heirloom?"

"Gift?"

The group of ladies glanced at one another with uncertainty. "How long will it take for you to get there and back?"

"An hour or so, as the horse rides," the young woman assured, and mounted Phillipe before shoving Lumiere in the satchel that was hooked to the side. "Don't worry. I'll be back before you know it."

…

As Phillipe galloped off into the woods, Lumiere burst from the satchel. "What-?" He spluttered. "What are you planning?"

Belle held the satchel close to her so that it didn't bounce anymore from the gait, and informed him. "Gaston will never stop hunting you when you're like this. If you're human, he'll have no claim over you."

Lumiere blinked. "Are you suggesting that-?

"That there's still a way to break the spell? I hope so," she muttered. " I thought that the best thing to do would be to lay low until the fire burned out, but you were right. Gaston won't budge. Turning you back is the only way now."

"But how?" Lumiere asked. "I mean, Cogsworth always insisted that "trails of magic could be harnessed", but I don't understand how that would work. Besides," he shuddered, "I don't dabble in that. Too risky."

Belle frowned thoughtfully. "I think the first thing we need to worry about is where to find something in the castle that was, for certain, touched by the enchantress. Something she left behind.."

"The rose!"

Belle could have kissed him. "Perfect!"

* * *

 **Author's note: Oh, Lumiere… It's so close to the end. Right around the corner, actually.**


End file.
